An organic society is a concept that views society as a living, interconnected organism where the various parts work together to sustain the whole. This idea contrasts with the view of society as a collection of autonomous individuals, and is central to several political ideologies that reject traditional political ideology.
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The concept of an organic society is central to the political ideology of Burkeanism, which rejects the idea of abstract, universal political principles in favor of a view of society as a living, evolving entity.
Scientific Socialism, as developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, also incorporates the idea of an organic society, with the proletariat as the vital organ that must overthrow the capitalist class to restore health to the social organism.
Religious Extremism, such as certain forms of Islamic fundamentalism, often views society as a divinely-ordained organic whole, with strict adherence to religious law as the means of maintaining the health and integrity of the social body.
The organic society concept emphasizes the interdependence of social institutions and the importance of tradition, hierarchy, and organic social bonds over individual rights and abstract political ideologies.
Organic society theorists often critique the Enlightenment emphasis on individual autonomy and rationality, arguing that these values disrupt the natural, holistic functioning of the social organism.
Review Questions
Explain how the concept of an organic society relates to the political ideology of Burkeanism.
Burkeanism, the political philosophy developed by Edmund Burke, rejects the idea of abstract, universal political principles in favor of a view of society as a living, evolving organism. The organic society concept is central to Burkeanism, which emphasizes the importance of tradition, hierarchy, and organic social bonds over individual rights and rational, abstract political ideologies. Burkeans argue that society is an interconnected whole, and that attempts to radically restructure it based on Enlightenment values of individual autonomy and rationality will disrupt the natural, holistic functioning of the social organism.
Describe how the organic society concept is incorporated into the political ideology of Scientific Socialism.
Scientific Socialism, as developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, also incorporates the idea of an organic society. In this view, the proletariat, or working class, is seen as the vital organ of the social organism that must overthrow the capitalist class to restore health and balance to the social body. The organic society concept in Scientific Socialism emphasizes the interdependence of social institutions and the need for a fundamental restructuring of the system to align with the natural, holistic functioning of society. This contrasts with the individualism and abstract political principles that Scientific Socialists argue are characteristic of capitalist societies.
Analyze how the organic society concept relates to the political ideology of Religious Extremism, such as certain forms of Islamic fundamentalism.
In some forms of Religious Extremism, such as Islamic fundamentalism, the organic society concept is used to view society as a divinely-ordained whole, with strict adherence to religious law as the means of maintaining the health and integrity of the social body. This organic society view rejects the Enlightenment emphasis on individual autonomy and rationality, arguing that these values disrupt the natural, holistic functioning of the social organism. Religious Extremists often critique modern, secularized societies as being out of alignment with the divine order, and seek to restore the organic, hierarchical structure of the social organism through the imposition of religious law and the subordination of individual rights to the needs of the community.
Related terms
Holism: The view that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone.
Organicism: The belief that society, or any complex system, should be viewed as an organism, with interdependent parts working together to maintain the health and function of the whole.
A social and political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of community in shaping individual identity and moral obligations, in contrast with individualism.