Course Code: CORE8

Course Title: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN

PERSON
Course Type: CORE
Pre-requisite: NONE
Co-requisite: NONE
Quarter: 2nd
Course Topic: THE HUMAN PERSON IN SOCIETY
Module: #7 Week: 14-15
Course Subtopic: Social Interaction and Society
Social Interaction and Development of Society
The Harmony Between Individualism And
Collectivism
Course Description: An initiation to the activity and process of
Philosophical reflection as a search for synoptic
vision of life. Topics to be discussed include the
human experiences of embodiment, being in the
world with others and the environment, freedom,
intersubjectivity, sociality, being unto death.
Course Outcomes (COs) and Relationship to Student Outcomes
Course Outcomes SO
After completing the course, the student must a b c d
be able to:
5. Evaluates the formation of human D I R
relationships and how individuals are
shaped by their social contexts.
* Level: I- Introduced, R- Reinforced, D- Demonstrated

THE HUMAN PERSON IN SOCIETY

SOCIAL INTERACTION AND SOCIETY

By: Lumen Learning

In sociology, social interaction is a dynamic sequence of social actions between

individuals (or groups) who modify their actions and reactions due to actions
by their interaction partner(s). Social interactions can be differentiated into
accidental, repeated, regular and regulated.

A social interaction is a social exchange between two or more individuals.

These interactions form the basis for social structure and therefore are a key
object of basic social inquiry and analysis. Social interaction can be studied
between groups of two (dyads), three (triads) or larger social groups.

Social structures and cultures are founded upon social interactions. By

interacting with one another, people design rules, institutions and systems
within which they seek to live. Symbols are used to communicate the
expectations of a given society to those new to it, either children or outsiders.
Through this broad schema of social development, one sees how social
interaction lies at its core.

The empirical study of social interaction is one of the subjects of

microsociology, which concerns the nature of everyday human social

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interactions and agency on a small scale. Methods include symbolic
interactionism and ethnomethodology, as well as later academic sub-divisions
and studies like psychosocial studies, conversational analysis and human-
computer interaction.

With symbolic interactionism, reality is seen as social, developed interaction

with others. It argues that both individuals and society cannot be separated far
from each other for two reasons. One being that they are both created through
social interaction. The second reason is they cannot be understood in terms
without the other. Ethnomethodology, an offshoot of symbolic interactionism,
which questions how people’s interactions can create the illusion of a shared
social order despite not understanding each other fully and having differing
perspectives.

SOCIAL INTERACTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY

By: Lumen Learning

Preindustrial Societies
Before the Industrial Revolution and the widespread use of machines, societies
were small, rural, and dependent largely on local resources. Economic
production was limited to the amount of labour a human being could provide,
and there were few specialized occupations. The very first occupation was that
of hunter-gatherer.

1. Hunter-Gatherer Hunter-gatherer societies demonstrate the strongest

dependence on the environment of the various types of preindustrial
societies. As the basic structure of all human society until about 10,000–
12,000 years ago, these groups were based around kinship or tribes.
Hunter-gatherers relied on their surroundings for survival—they hunted
wild animals and foraged for uncultivated plants for food. When resources
became scarce, the group moved to a new area to find sustenance, meaning
they were nomadic. These societies were common until several hundred
years ago, but today only a few hundred remain in existence, such as
indigenous Australian tribes sometimes referred to as ―aborigines,‖ or the
Bambuti, a group of pygmy hunter-gatherers residing in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Hunter-gatherer groups are quickly disappearing as the
world’s population explodes.

2. Pastoral Changing conditions and adaptations led some societies to rely on

the domestication of animals where circumstances permitted. Roughly
7,500 years ago, human societies began to recognize their ability to tame
and breed animals and to grow and cultivate their own plants. Pastoral
societies rely on the domestication of animals as a resource for survival.
Unlike earlier hunter-gatherers who depended entirely on existing resources
to stay alive, pastoral groups were able to breed livestock for food, clothing,
and transportation, creating a surplus of goods. Herding, or pastoral,
societies remained nomadic because they were forced to follow their animals
to fresh feeding grounds. Around the time that pastoral societies emerged,

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 specialized occupations began to develop, and societies commenced trading
with local groups.

Industrial Society
In the 18th century, Europe experienced a dramatic rise in technological
invention, ushering in an era known as the Industrial Revolution. What made
this period remarkable was the number of new inventions that influenced
people’s daily lives. Within a generation, tasks that had until this point
required months of labour became achievable in a matter of days. Before the
Industrial Revolution, work was largely person- or animal-based, relying on
human workers or horses to power mills and drive pumps. In 1782, James
Watt and Matthew Boulton created a steam engine that could do the work of 12
horses by itself.

Steam power began appearing everywhere. Instead of paying artisans to

painstakingly spin wool and weave it into cloth, people turned to textile mills
that produced fabric quickly at a better price, and often with better quality.
Rather than planting and harvesting fields by hand, farmers were able to
purchase mechanical seeders and threshing machines that caused agricultural
productivity to soar. Products such as paper and glass became available to the
average person, and the quality and accessibility of education and health care
soared. Gas lights allowed increased visibility in the dark, and towns and cities
developed a nightlife.

One of the results of increased wealth, productivity, and technology was the
rise of urban centres. Serfs and peasants, expelled from their ancestral lands,
flocked to the cities in search of factory jobs, and the populations of cities
became increasingly diverse. The new generation became less preoccupied with
maintaining family land and traditions, and more focused on survival. Some
were successful in acquiring wealth and achieving upward mobility for
themselves and their family. Others lived in devastating poverty and squalor.
Whereas the class system of feudalism had been rigid, and resources for all but
the highest nobility and clergy scarce, under capitalism social mobility (both
upward and downward) became possible.

It was during the 18th and 19th centuries of the Industrial Revolution that
sociology was born. Life was changing quickly and the long-established
traditions of the agricultural eras did not apply to life in the larger cities.
Masses of people were moving to new environments and often found
themselves faced with horrendous conditions of filth, overcrowding, and
poverty. Social science emerged in response to the unprecedented scale of the
social problems of modern society.

It was during this time that power moved from the hands of the aristocracy and
―old money‖ to the new class of rising bourgeoisie who amassed fortunes in
their lifetimes. A new cadre of financiers and industrialists (like Donald Smith
[1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal] and George Stephen [1st Baron
Mount Stephen] in Canada) became the new power players, using their

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influence in business to control aspects of government as well. Eventually,
concerns over the exploitation of workers led to the formation of labour unions
and laws that set mandatory conditions for employees. Although the
introduction of new technology at the end of the 20th century ended the
industrial age, much of our social structure and social ideas—like the nuclear
family, left-right political divisions, and time standardization—have a basis in
industrial society.

Postindustrial Society
Information societies, sometimes known as postindustrial or digital societies,
are a recent development. Unlike industrial societies that are rooted in the
production of material goods, information societies are based on the production
of information and services.

Digital technology is the steam engine of information societies, and high tech
companies such as Apple and Microsoft are its version of railroad and steel
manufacturing corporations. Since the economy of information societies is
driven by knowledge and not material goods, power lies with those in charge of
creating, storing, and distributing information. Members of a postindustrial
society are likely to be employed as sellers of services—software programmers
or business consultants, for example—instead of producers of goods. Social
classes are divided by access to education, since without technical and
communication skills, people in an information society lack the means for
success.

THE HARMONY BETWEEN INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM

By: Future Learn

Our first cultural value dimension is individualism versus collectivism.

a) Individualism stresses individual goals and the rights of the individual
person. An individualist is motivated by personal rewards and benefits.
Individualist persons set personal goals and objectives based on self.
Individualistic workers are very comfortable working with autonomy and
not part of a team.
b) Collectivism focuses on group goals, what is best for the collective
group, and personal relationships. The collectivist is motivated by group
goals. Long-term relationships are very important. Collectivistic persons
easily sacrifice individual benefit or praise to recognize and honor the
team’s success. In fact, being singled out and honored as an individual
from the rest of the team may be embarrassing to the collectivistic
person.

The generalized geographic clusters of individualism may be found in Anglo

countries, Germanic Europe, and Nordic Europe. Geographic clusters for
collectivism are often located in Arab countries, Latin America, Confucian Asia,
Southern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

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An example of how individualism versus collectivism may play out at a
university is related to academic integrity. At a university in the United States
where individualism is considered the norm, each individual student is
expected and generally required to do their own individual work. Sometimes
this is confusing to international students from a collectivistic society who
come to a university in the United States. The collectivistic expectation is that if
another student with whom you have a personal relationship needs your help,
then you provide that help. A collectivistic student has a mandatory social
obligation to help the other student succeed. This higher collectivistic social
obligation can be in direct violation of academic integrity in an individualistic
academic setting.

ACTIVITY 6:
Meme Templates

Instructions: Create a meme about our topic ―Social Interaction‖ using

the templates below.

Name: _____________________________ Grade &Section: ________________

Meme #1

Meme #2

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 SELF-ASSESMENT

Encircle
your
Answer

FORM
Read each statement and check ( ) the box that reflects your work today.

Name: Date:
Section:
Strongly
Disagree Agree
Agree

1. I found this work interesting.

2. I make a strong effort.
3. I am proud of the results.
4. I understood all the instructions.
5. I followed all the steps.
6. I learned something new.
7. I feel ready for the next assignment.
www.ldatschool.ca/executive-function/self-assessment/

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Reference Book:
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person
 Brenda Corpuz, Diwa Learning System Inc. 2016,
 Jose Romero Joven & Ramonito Canete Perez, Books Atbp.
Publishing Corporation
 Brenda B. Corpuz, BSE, MAEd, Phd et.al. OBE Publishing

Online Reference:
 Lumen Learning, Understanding Social Interaction | Boundless
Sociology
Retrieved from: courses.lumenlearning.com › boundless-sociology › chapter ›
underst...
 Lumen Learning, Types of Societies | Introduction to Sociology
Retrieved from: courses.lumenlearning.com › sociology › chapter › types-of-
societies
 Future Learn, Individualism versus collectivism
Retrieved from: FutureLearnwww.futurelearn.com › courses › develop-
cultural-intelligence › steps

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