Manis,atoneandthesametime,asolitarybeingandasocialbeing.Asasolitarybeing,heattemptstoprotecthisownexistenceandthatofthosewhoareclosesttohim,tosatisfyhispersonaldesires,andtodevelophisinnateabilities.Asasocialbeing,heseekstogaintherecognitionandaffectionofhisfellowhumanbeings,toshareintheirpleasures,tocomfortthemintheirsorrows,andtoimprovetheirconditionsoflife.
Onlytheexistenceofthesevaried,frequentlyconflicting,strivingsaccountsforthespecialcharacterofaman,andtheirspecificcombinationdeterminestheextenttowhichanindividualcanachieveandinaninnerbalanceandcancontributetothewell-beingofsociety.
Itisquitepossiblethattherelativestrengthofthesetwodrivesis,inthemain,fixedbyinheritance.Butthepersonalitythatfinallyemergesislargelyformedbytheenvironmentinwhichamanhappenstofindhimselfduringhisdevelopment,bythestructureofthesocietyinwhichhegrowsup,bythetraditionofthatsociety,andbyitsevaluationofparticulartypesofbehavior.
Theabstractconcept“society”meanstotheindividualhumanbeingthesumtotalofhisdirectandindirectrelationstohiscontemporariesandtoallthepeopleofearliergenerations.Theindividualisabletothink,feel,strive,andworkbyhimself;buthedependssomuchuponsociety—inhisphysical,intellectual,andemotionalexistence—thatitisimpossibletothinkofhim,ortounderstandhim,outsidetheframeworkofsociety.
Itis“society”whichprovidesmanwithfood,clothing,ahome,thetoolsofwork,language,theformsofthought,andmostofthecontentofthought;hislifeismadepossiblethroughthelaborandaccomplishmentsofthemanymillionspastandpresentwhoareallhiddenbehindthesmallword“society”
