Social studies test. Society as a complex dynamic system

Speaking about human activity, it should be emphasized that it is this process that constantly changes the world and allows people to create something that initially did not exist in nature.

Activity as a way of existence

Only humans have this form of interaction with the outside world. Activity is such a multifaceted process that any human activity can be called this word.

It is activity that allows a person to create all the necessary conditions for existence, constantly learn about the world around him, satisfy spiritual needs and develop in many directions. Activities have certain characteristics.

It is productive, conscious, social and transformative. It is precisely these traits that distinguish a person from an animal, and this is the difference between human activity and animal behavior.

Human activity is clearly conscious character. A person is able to set goals and can foresee the result of his work.

A person is aimed at obtaining a certain result, this is what productivity.

Transformative The nature of the activity is that it changes the world in which people live, it contributes to the improvement of the objects that surround us and ourselves.

Motivation for activity

A motive is considered to be the driving force behind an activity. And the same activity can be performed for completely different reasons.

But a person is often driven not by one motive, but by a whole system of motives and their multifaceted combination.

The motivation of a person’s activities reveals his beliefs, interests, needs and ideals. And it is motivation that gives activity semantic filling.

Variety of activities

There are different types of human activity, since activity can proceed from completely different grounds. Therefore, there are several types of classification of diversity of activities.

The activity can be spiritual or practical, depending on the person's relationship to the world around him. Associated with a change in consciousness spiritual activity, and practical- transforms the material objects of our world.

Another classification: reactionary and progressive activities. In this case, human activity is related to the development of humanity and the course of history. There are creative or destructive types of activity - they also relate to social progress and history.

There are also legal and illegal human activities, immoral and moral. These types arose due to the formation of certain social norms and general cultural values.

Social forms of association of people also made their own amendments to the types of activities. There are mass, collective and individual activities. There are many more classifications of types of human activity: innovative, creative, formulaic, inventive, monotonous, and so on.

The second part of the definition of the concept of “society” given in § 1 emphasizes the idea of ​​​​the interconnection of people and the interaction of various spheres of public life. In philosophical literature, society is defined as a “dynamic system.” The concept of “system” may seem complicated, but it makes sense to understand it, since there are many objects in the world that are covered by this concept. Our Universe, the culture of an individual people, and the activities of man himself are systems. The word “system” is of Greek origin and means “a whole made up of parts,” “a totality.” Thus, each system includes interacting parts: subsystems and elements. Connections and relationships between parts of the system become of primary importance. Dynamic systems allow various changes, development, the emergence of new parts and the death of old parts and connections between them.

Features of the social system

What are the characteristic features of society as a system? How does this system differ from natural systems? A number of such differences have been identified in the social sciences.

Firstly, society as a system is complex, since it includes many levels, subsystems, and elements. Thus, we can talk about human society on a global scale, about society within one country, about various social groups in which each person is included (nation, class, family, etc.).

The macrostructure of society as a system consists of four subsystems, which are the main spheres of human activity - material and production, social, political, spiritual. Each of these spheres known to you has its own complex structure and is itself a complex system. Thus, the political sphere acts as a system that includes a large number of components - the state, parties, etc. But the state, for example, is also a system with many components.

Thus, any of the existing spheres of society, being a subsystem in relation to society, at the same time itself acts as a rather complex system. Therefore, we can talk about a hierarchy of systems consisting of a number of different levels.

In other words, society is a complex system of systems, a kind of supersystem.

Secondly, characteristic feature of society as a system is the presence in its composition of elements of different quality, both material (various technical devices, institutions, etc.) and ideal (values, ideas, traditions, etc.). For example, the economic sphere includes enterprises, vehicles, raw materials, manufactured goods and at the same time economic knowledge, rules, values, patterns of economic behavior and much more.

Third, basic element of society as a system is a person who has the ability to set goals and choose means of carrying out his activities. This makes social systems more changeable and mobile than natural ones.

Social life is in constant change. The pace and extent of these changes may vary; There are periods in the history of mankind when the established order of life did not change in its fundamentals for centuries, but over time the pace of change began to increase.

From your history course, you know that in societies that existed in different eras, certain qualitative changes occurred, while the natural systems of those periods did not undergo significant changes. This fact indicates that society is a dynamic system that has a property that in science is expressed by the concepts of “change”, “development”, “progress”, “regression”, “evolution”, “revolution”, etc.

Hence, Human- this is a universal element of all social systems, since it is certainly included in each of them.

Like any system, society is an ordered entity. This means that the components of the system are not in disorder, but, on the contrary, occupy a certain position within the system and are connected in a certain way with other components. Therefore, the system has integrative quality, which is inherent in it as a single whole. None of the system components, considered separately, possesses this quality. It, this quality, is the result of the integration and interconnection of all components of the system. Just as individual human organs (heart, stomach, liver, etc.) do not have the properties of a person, the economy, health care system, state and other elements of society do not have the qualities that are inherent in society as a whole. And only thanks to the diverse connections that exist between the components of the social system, it turns into a single whole, that is, into society (just as a single human body exists thanks to the interaction of various human organs).

The connections between subsystems and elements of society can be illustrated with various examples. The study of the distant past of mankind allowed scientists to conclude that the moral relations of people in primitive conditions were built on collectivist principles, that is, in modern terms, priority was always given to the collective rather than to the individual. It is also known that the moral norms that existed among many tribes in those archaic times allowed the killing of weak members of the clan - sick children, old people - and even cannibalism. Have these ideas and views of people about the limits of what is morally permissible been influenced by the real material conditions of their existence? The answer is clear: undoubtedly, they did. The need to collectively obtain material wealth, the doom of a person who has become separated from his clan to quick death, laid the foundations of collectivist morality. Guided by the same methods of struggle for existence and survival, people did not consider it immoral to free themselves from those who could become a burden to the collective.

Another example could be the connection between legal norms and socio-economic relations. Let us turn to known historical facts. The code of laws of the Old Russian state - Russian Pravda - provides for various punishments for murder. In this case, the measure of punishment was determined primarily by a person’s place in the system of hierarchical relations, his belonging to a particular social stratum or group. Thus, the fine for killing a tiun (steward) was enormous: it was 80 hryvnia and equal to the cost of 80 oxen or 400 rams. The life of a serf or serf was valued at 5 hryvnia, i.e. 16 times cheaper.

Integral, i.e. general, inherent in the entire system, qualities of any system are not a simple sum of the qualities of its components, but represent new quality, resulting from the relationship and interaction of its constituent components. In its most general form, this is the quality of society as a social system - ability to create all the necessary conditions for its existence, to produce everything necessary for the collective life of people. In philosophy self-sufficiency considered as main difference society from its constituent parts. Just as human organs cannot exist outside the whole organism, so none of the subsystems of society can exist outside the whole - society as a system.

Another feature of society as a system is that this system is one of the self-governing. The managerial function is performed by the political subsystem, which gives consistency to all components that form the social integrity.

Any system, be it technical (a unit with an automatic control system), or biological (animal), or social (society), is located in a certain environment with which it interacts. Environment of the social system of any country is both nature and the world community. Changes in the state of the natural environment, events in the world community, in the international arena are a kind of signals to which society must respond. It usually seeks to either adapt to changes occurring in the environment or adapt the environment to its needs. In other words, the system reacts to signals in one way or another. At the same time, she realizes her main functions: adaptation; goal achievement, i.e. the ability to maintain its integrity, ensuring the implementation of its tasks, influencing the surrounding natural and social environment; sample maintenance- the ability to maintain one’s internal structure; integration- the ability to integrate, that is, to include new parts, new social formations (phenomena, processes, etc.) into a single whole.

Section 1, chapter 1. Society. Topic 2. // Society as a complex dynamic system. Option 1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1.The main subsystems of society include:

1) state; 2) religion; 3) economics; 4) class of entrepreneurs.

2. A social institution is:

3. The main political institution is

1) the institution of a multi-party system; 3) the institution of presidential plenipotentiaries

2) the institution of the judiciary; 4) the institution of the state.

4. Are the following judgments about society as a system true?

A. Society as a system is characterized by self-sufficiency

B. Society as a system is characterized by self-government

1) only A is true; 3) both judgments are correct;

2) only B is true; 4) both judgments are incorrect.

Short answer questions.

Section 1, chapter 1. Society. Topic 2. // Society as a complex dynamic system. Option 2.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The following does not apply to the characteristics of society as a system:

1) the presence of many levels, subsystems, elements. 3) alternative development;

2) completeness, linearity of development; 4) the presence of elements of different quality.

2. A social institution is:

1) the totality of all types of transformative activity, as well as its result, including the transformation of the person himself;

2) a historically established, stable form of organizing the joint activities of people performing certain functions in society, the main of which is the satisfaction of social needs;

3) a person’s way of relating to the outside world, which consists in transforming and subordinating it to the person’s goals;

4) relatively stable connections between social groups, peoples, states and other associations of people that arise in different spheres of human activity.

3. The institution of parliamentarism arose in the political life of our country. What function of society as a system does this example illustrate?

1) integration; 2) adaptation; 3) goal achievement; 4) maintaining the sample.

4. Are the following judgments about the relationship between spheres of public life correct?

A. The relationship between the spheres of public life is characterized by their independence from each other.

B. The relationship between the spheres of public life is characterized by their complex relationships and mutual influence.

1) only A is true; 3) both judgments are correct;

2) only B is true; 4) both judgments are incorrect.

5. Are the following judgments about social institutions true?

A. Social institutions make connections between people random and chaotic.

B. Social institutions unite large masses of people to satisfy one or another need.

1) only A is true; 3) both judgments are correct;

2) only B is true; 4) both judgments are incorrect.

6. In the country K., the political system of society slows down the development of the economy. This example illustrates:

1) cyclicality as the basis of the existence of society;

2) the complex structure of the main spheres of social life;

3) constant change in social life;

4) the relationship between the spheres of public life.

Short answer questions.

Write down the word missing in the fragment of the table.

Establish a correspondence between social institutions and their types:

Find the key institutions in terms of how society is organized in the list below:

power, 2) forensic examination; 3) property; 4) factory; 5) twinning; 6) family.

Section 1, chapter 1. Society. Topic 2. // Society as a complex dynamic system

Option 1.

Multiple Choice Questions

Short answer questions.

1. self-sufficiency

Option 2.

Multiple Choice Questions

Short answer questions.

1. self-sufficiency

Spiritual realm- this is the area of ​​​​creation and development of spiritual benefits. The elements of the spiritual sphere are spiritual needs as a source of spiritual activity of society, a means of carrying out spiritual production, as well as subjects of spiritual activity. Spiritual values ​​are the main element of the spiritual sphere - exist in the form of ideas and are materially embodied in the form of language, works of art etc.

are produced not things, but ideas, images, scientific and artistic values. True, these values ​​are one way or another materialized in physical things, carriers of these spiritual values, in books, paintings, sculptures or in modern electronic media. But still, the main thing in these objects is not their material side, but their spiritual content, the ideas, images, and feelings contained in them.

The spiritual sphere includes universities and laboratories, museums and theaters, art galleries and research institutes, magazines and newspapers, cultural monuments and national art treasures, etc. This sphere three main tasks. The science designed to discover new knowledge in technical and humanitarian fields, i.e., create avant-garde technologies, spaceship designs, decipher ancient texts, describe the laws of the universe, etc. Education is called upon transfer the knowledge discovered by scientists to subsequent generations in the most effective way, for which schools and universities are created, the latest programs and teaching methods are prepared, qualified teachers are trained.

Culture designed to create extra-scientific, namely, artistic values, store them in libraries, museums, and exhibit them in galleries. Culture should also include religion, which is the basis of the spiritual culture of any society.

The whole, as Aristotle taught, can only be understood as something more, something other than the simple sum of its constituent parts . Therefore, in order to understand society as a whole, it is necessary to study not only its parts, but also to identify the special properties of society as a whole. These are the following properties:

Self-activity;

Self-organization;

Self-development;

Self-sufficiency. - this is the ability of a system, through its own activity, to create and recreate all the necessary conditions for its own existence, to produce everything necessary for collective life.

Self-sufficiency is the main difference between society and its constituent parts. None of the above types of social activity can function independently; none of the individual social groups is able to survive alone or provide themselves with everything they need. Only society as a whole has this ability. Only the totality of all types of activities, all taken together and interconnected groups and their institutions create society as a whole as a self-sufficient social system - a product of the joint activity of people capable of creating, through their own efforts, all the necessary conditions for their existence

The connection between legal norms and socio-economic relations is clearly visible. Let us turn to known historical facts. One of the first sets of laws of Kievan Rus, called “Russian Truth,” provides for various punishments for murder. In this case, the measure of punishment was determined primarily by a person’s place in the system of hierarchical relations, his belonging to a particular social stratum or group. Thus, the fine for killing a tiun (steward) was enormous: it was equal to the value of a herd of 80 oxen or 400 rams. The life of a stinker or serf was valued 16 times less.

Concerning social sphere , then here we can talk about its direct depending on the development of the material sphere where public wealth is created - schools, residential buildings, hospitals, sanatoriums and holiday homes are built, clothing, shoes, food, medicines are produced, i.e. everything that serves to satisfy the primary and most important needs of people. However the state of the social sphere also affects material production, because the spiritual and physical well-being of people, the level of their upbringing and education and, consequently, their readiness to work in material production depend on it.

Humanity is distinguished by the ability to act in its own interests, creating large-scale, comprehensive benefits. This makes our life comfortable.

Activity as a way of existence of people determines the well-being of each individual and society as a whole. This behavior allows us to change the world around us. What this process is, as well as what contributes to human activity, needs to be considered in more detail.

General concept

Human activity is a form of interaction with the world that surrounds us. This process gives people the opportunity to understand the world, and on the basis of external data they build their behavioral models. The combination of these features results in humanity’s ability to change the world.

Thanks to activity, we can satisfy our needs for material goods (food, housing, clothing, etc.), as well as develop spiritually. This process involves, for example, arts, science, etc.

Also, human activity can be aimed at self-development, improving one’s personality. Strengthening willpower, developing certain character traits or abilities bears fruit in the future.

Distinctive features

Activity is an opportunity to improve environmental conditions, to transform the world so that we feel comfortable living in appropriate conditions. In the interests of people, new benefits are created every year that have never existed in nature.

Human activity is characterized by its social and transformative character, as well as its productivity and consciousness. This distinguishes us from the behavior of other living beings within the framework established by nature.

We consciously set our goals, which allows us to foresee the end result. Our behavior leads to the receipt of products and benefits. To do this, a person uses various tools. The transformative nature of a person’s work allows him to change himself, as well as the surrounding reality. The social nature of activity is manifested in the ability to enter into contacts and collaborate to produce benefits common to all.

Human needs

By creating the necessary conditions for existence, a person satisfies his needs. People experience and realize their need for certain conditions created to maintain life, as well as personal development.

Needs are most often grouped into 3 groups. This is a natural, social and ideal need for a person to create specific conditions for his existence.

Natural needs are given to us by nature. We are born with them, so they are biological (or physiological). This includes all the needs necessary for life and reproduction: food, shelter, water, sleep, etc.

Social needs include those related to work and communication. People need achievements and recognition from others.

The highest level is cultural needs. This allows a person to develop his spiritual abilities, talents, and also to understand the world around him.

Interrelation of needs

When studying activity as a way of human existence, attention should be paid to the interaction of needs. All three categories discussed above are interrelated. For example, when satisfying his food needs, a person takes care of the variety of dishes, the aesthetics of the table, the beauty and cleanliness of cutlery, pleasant company, etc.

A feature of human nature is the extremely rare state of complete satisfaction of one's needs. If one need is satisfied, another one pops up, capturing his attention and forcing him to direct his efforts to a specific area.

Also, needs have their own hierarchy. Until the natural ones are satisfied, they do not pay attention to their social and cultural needs. To develop spiritually, you must have some minimum of satisfied needs for food, communication, etc.

Structure

When studying what fundamental elements are determined during our evolutionary development, one cannot lose sight of the structure of this process. All our actions are determined by purpose. To achieve it, a person uses certain means. This allows you to get the required result.

The goal is the awareness of the consequences towards which human forces are directed. First, mental outlines of a future product or result arise. Next, a person thinks about what means will help him achieve his desired goal.

Having used the necessary tools, having acquired certain knowledge and skills, a person receives results. These can be both material and spiritual benefits. This is what a person wants consciously.

Main activities

Activity as a way of existence of a person and society has several main directions. They are classified according to different criteria. First of all, the process of creation can be practical or spiritual. It depends on our attitude to the world that surrounds us.

When a person’s consciousness changes, we are talking about spiritual activity. By transforming material objects that exist in our reality, people perform practical actions.

Activities can also be progressive or reactionary. This is due to the course of history and the development of the personality of each member of society. Also, our efforts can be constructive or destructive.

Activities can be legal or prohibited, acceptable or immoral. The formation of these varieties was influenced by basic moral norms and general cultural values.

Based on social characteristics, work can be divided into mass, collective or individual work. It can be creative, innovative, formulaic, monotonous or inventive, etc.

Motivation

Motivation for activity is the reason why a person puts forward a particular goal or engages in a certain work. It is precisely this explanation that moves us towards creation or destruction.

Motive is motivation. Sometimes different reasons lead to performing the same type of activity. For example, a group of people is reading a book. One of them does this because he has a thirst for new knowledge. Another person reads to occupy his free time. The third representative of the group is engaged in this activity in order to earn the approval of other group members.

It happens that the same motive leads to different activities. For example, wanting to earn recognition from society, a person can demonstrate his abilities in the industrial, sports or social sphere, etc. The variety of motives and goals determines the overall activity.

Awareness of activity

Activity as a way of existence of people is a conscious process. However, the degree of this knowledge may vary. Motives are formed under the influence of a person’s interests, needs, and beliefs. They give meaning to actions.

The entire process of a person’s work to achieve his goals consists of a sequence of certain acts. They are called action. For example, in the process of obtaining an education, we read certain literature, listen to lectures from teachers, write down the material presented by them, solve problems and follow the instructions of teachers.

When a goal is set and a person imagines its result, and the order of performing actions using specific means is established, this is called conscious activity.

However, in reality, this process may go beyond goals and motivations. Strong feelings and emotions can influence actions. In this case, awareness of the goal may be absent. This causes impulsive actions. Such activity is called low-conscious.

Stimulation

In the process of a person’s work in various directions, motivation and stimulation of activity arise. If motive is the reason why we carry out certain actions, then stimulation is a reward. This makes the activity more efficient.

Motivation and stimulation represent a strategy. They complement each other. For example, a company can simultaneously improve working conditions while increasing wages. Complexity gives good results.

But incentives and motivation can also oppose each other. For example, wages increased by 5%, but inflation was 10%. Productivity has decreased for this reason. The motivation mechanism must be adequate to the stimulation process.

Having studied what activity is as a way of human existence, you can understand the essence of this concept, as well as delve into its features.