Civil society is a phenomenon that is being actively studied by scientists of various fields - economics, sociology, law. And there is still no generally accepted understanding of its essence. What are the concepts that explain what civil society is? The concept, principles, structure of it - how are they interpreted by researchers?
Civil Society Definition
The first aspect that we will consider is the definition of the term in question. There are many approaches to determining what civil society is (concept, structure, signs of it). There are concepts proposed by the philosopher-scientists of antiquity and the Middle Ages, there are theories of sociologists and economists of the 19-20 centuries, there are modern ideas.
But even if we try to investigate what civil society is in the modern sense, we will again encounter a huge number of interpretations of this phenomenon, which can be very dissimilar to each other. Therefore, when considering certain interpretations of the term in question, one must be aware that none of the points of view can be considered universally accepted even in narrow scientific circles. These are just versions of individual researchers.
Society of Free People
In accordance with one common concept, civil society should be understood as a union of free individuals. In terms of the economic component, this means that every person included in the structure of society is the owner. Depending on the amount of personal labor investments, knowledge and skills, he can increase the volume of his property, as well as dispose of it at his discretion. A person in modern civil society is free to choose a profession, place of residence, building family relationships.
Another aspect of human freedom is the political one. A person can delegate power and managerial powers within the framework of democratic mechanisms, participate in elections himself, organize local self-government, and show social activity. Also, this aspect of freedom is expressed in the citizen’s right to choose political preferences, to be a member of various parties and associations.
The social aspect of human freedom in modern society is expressed in the fact that no one has the right to impose on him a certain model of behavior. He himself, guided by personal morality, will determine how to behave in relations with other people. This aspect of freedom is complemented by the availability of opportunities to express one’s point of view in public - at meetings, rallies, and in the media.
Mutual interest
Using certain channels of expression of one’s own interests, a person in a modern civil society is obliged to reckon with the interests of those around him. In this sense, his freedom is limited where the priorities of other citizens are affected. One of the criteria for the maturity of a society is that all its participants are aware of the fact that they have not only rights, but also obligations (which follow directly from them).
Dialectical totality
Actually, for the first time the term “civil society”, the concept, structure, signs of it were introduced into the public circulation by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel in the book “Philosophy of Law”. The great German thinker considered that civil society is a dialectical set of various relations - family, social, as well as those in which the state participates. In accordance with Hegel's concepts, society is an environment that represents a set of needs. Also, its key components are religion, state, law, family, culture and other elements. Hegelian civil society is one of the highest stages of human development. People who have not grown culturally before him are wild, undeveloped communities.
In Hegel's conception, the closest to civilian is the classical bourgeois society. The central element of society in this theory is man, his activities aimed at the realization of certain needs. An important nuance of the concept is that individuals can achieve their goals only if they interact with other people.
Karl Marx supplemented Hegel's teachings with economic categories, which were mainly based on industrial relations, as well as with such components as the basis and superstructure. This concept was largely guiding for the Soviet school of social studies. On its basis, the principles of political economy were formed, which became widespread in the scientific environment of the USSR.
Build communism
The concept of civil society, the structure of civil society in a communist interpretation is interesting in that they do not imply a significant role of the economic factor in its capitalist understanding. The fact is that with the appropriate formation, private property disappears, and the possibility of realizing a person’s personal priorities largely depends on the need to follow principles and norms defined at the state level.
Non-intervention theory
In accordance with one of the modern interpretations, civil society should be understood as an environment that develops independently of the state and subject to non-interference on its part. This theory as a whole is close to that which we examined at the beginning of the article, where human freedom is the primary criterion for the existence of society. However, this interpretation, which determines what civil society is, the concept, structure, signs of it, has a pronounced economic connotation.
That is, the state allows the subjects of society to act independently with the expectation that they will be able to provide for themselves, for example, opening a business or gaining a sought-after profession in order to subsequently find work without problems. In turn, in societies where individuals cannot maintain their economic viability, a strong state cannot be dispensed with. But if society is ready to do business and study, then the government can limit itself to minimal interference in the relevant communications, for example, legislative regulation in key economic areas in the interests of the citizens themselves.
Priority of personal interest
The concept of civil society, the structure of civil society in modern theories is often supplemented with ideas that it is common for a person to interact with other individuals, mainly due to personal interest. But this mechanism is unusual in that the realization of the priorities of the individual (and this is the similarity of the theory under consideration with Hegel's concept) cannot be carried out without communication with other subjects.
What is civil society in Russia? Many researchers are trying to answer this question, but this is not much easier than formulating a universal definition of what society is in principle. There are a huge number of interpretations of the Russian model of civil society. It is especially difficult for researchers to give a definite answer, if only because the Russian Federation is a country that has changed several social formations at once in a fairly short period of time: bourgeois accents began to prevail in society under the Empire, subsequently they were replaced by the socialist communication model, and after the collapse of the USSR, neoliberal approaches to development of the economy and society.
Civil Society Structure
We studied one of the interpretations of the term “civil society” (concept, essence). The structure of the corresponding social phenomenon is the next aspect that interests us. Just as in the case with the definition of what civil society is, with regard to its structure, we can say that there are a large number of options for understanding it presented in the scientific and expert community.
Structure is a combination of constituent elements of civil society. It is assumed that, despite the possible dissimilarity, they generally interact while observing the necessary balances that ensure the stability of society, as well as its development.
Above, we examined the version according to which human freedom is the main criterion on the basis of which the concept of civil society is built. The structure of civil society, of which it consists, is issues that can also be considered in relation to the concept we have studied. That is, the constituent elements of society can be studied through their activity, implying the observance of a key criterion - ensuring guarantees of human freedom.
The concept of civil society, the structure of civil society are phenomena that can be studied in a variety of scientific approaches. Many modern sociologists prefer to single out the four main elements that shape the structure of society. Let's consider their essence.
The first element of civil society, if we follow the interpretation in question, is the social system. It is an environment in which individuals, interacting with each other, express, on the one hand, their own interests, realize their rights, on the other hand, combine them with the priorities of other people and fulfill the obligations stipulated by certain norms.
A variety of relationships can take place in a social system, but researchers consider family relationships to be the key ones. Among the main incentives for people to interact with each other is their desire to find a person with whom you can build a family. Another important factor in the communication of individuals in society is their objective need for communication. Man, according to a common point of view, is a social subject by nature. It is hard for him to live alone.
The second element of civil society is the economic system. The institutions that shape it form the basis of the life support of society. Within the framework of the economic system, a person also realizes his own interests, determined by needs, and also helps, when possible or necessary, to ensure the priorities of other people.
When taking a job, a citizen, on the one hand, does this because of the need for life support for himself and his family, and on the other hand, helps his employer develop and make a profit. Among the key components of the economic system of modern civil society are property relations. A person can own something, exchange something, sell, buy, and in most cases this is connected with the realization of personal or family needs.
The third element of modern civil society is the political and legal system. It is a set of institutions with the help of which the state and more localized administrative units are managed - subjects of the federation, if we talk about Russia, municipalities. The political system ensures the stability and sovereignty of society. The absence or weakness of state institutions is usually accompanied by a decrease in the quality of social communications. However, how stable the political and legal system will be is determined by society itself through elections or the organization of various forms of self-government.
The fourth element of modern civil society is a spiritual and cultural system. It can be considered one of the most important from the point of view of the stability of society, as well as the historical continuity of its key values, which is one of the main criteria for the stability of society. The spiritual and cultural component of social communications can play an irreplaceable role when, for example, crisis phenomena arise in the economic or political plane. Also, relevant social values can provide guidance on building mechanisms for the balanced interaction of individuals in conditions where most of them tend to act primarily on the basis of their interests.
These are examples of concepts in accordance with which the concept of civil society, the structure of civil society can be defined. As we noted at the beginning of the article, there are many interpretations related to the topic under discussion. Therefore, the interpretations given by us are only versions, but, we note, quite logical and reflecting in general the specifics of building communications in modern societies.
Civil Society Functions
We examined how civil society is understood in various interpretations (concept, structure). The functions of the corresponding category are the next aspect that interests us. Again, it should be said that there are a large number of dissimilar theories regarding the study of the corresponding characteristics of society.
According to one of them, civil society is responsible for the successful implementation by a person of his priorities, talents, and vocations. People always strive for something. And if civil society contributes to their desires, then this means that the corresponding social institution is functioning normally.
Many researchers, trying to answer the question of what constitutes a civil society and its functions, come to the conclusion that this environment is a necessary condition for the development of the state. If society does not meet the necessary criteria for sustainability, then political power will soon lose its ability to solve the tasks assigned to it. In this sense, the state and society are characterized by mutual dependence, one complements the other.
Another interpretation of the term suggests that the main function of society is to protect the interests of citizens. People should feel confident that the resources available to them for fulfilling their personal needs will not disappear due to the will of other entities, which may occur as part of direct intervention in a person’s private life.
