(Originally written May 16, 2006 in Book 1)
Man (Individuality vs. Society)
What is man?
Physical - body
Mental - Mind
Emotional - Mind and Soul
Spiritual - Soul
Social - ? Body/Mind/Soul?
How do you answer such a broad question?
Step one: introspection
By definition I am a human and thus, a man (universal, not sex).
I have a body with many parts (physical). I have thoughts (mind). I have emotions and feelings (soul & mind). I have a spiritual awareness (soul). I have, I have, I have... But what am I?
I am a composite of many things. Thus, I am a society of many things. I am the society of the body, the mind, and the soul of Chris Linehan. But if I am a society, is the concept of an individual or individuality a mute point?
Consider the body of a man as a machine. It works consistently for X amount of years. The processes and functions it performs are regulated by the brain. The brain stores countless programs that help the body function in a normal way. But the body is not a single entity. It is a composition of many parts. Thus, the body is a society. Each organ of he body or part of the body in and of itself is a society of individual cells. Each of those cells is an unique and amazing individual entity and yet if it were isolated, it would cease to be useful. In all likelihood a single cell of a human being would not survive for very long on its own. Thus, is an individual human cell worth as much as an individual? No, its usefulness and worth are derived from the society that it exists in. The body cannot live without the heart, but the heart cannot exist without the body (in a living state). Each are mutually dependent on the other. Yet a single skin cell can be removed and the body will be nearly unaffected. The skin cell is dependent.
Since the body in and of itself is not an individual entity, how can man be an individual entity?
Each individual part of the visible body compose the body. Since the body is merely a composition of parts it is therefore a society of parts. While this may seem to be the end, look even closer still. The head, a part of the individual body can be broken down further into the right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, nose, lips and chin. Thus, the seemingly individual entity known as the human head is actually a sub-society of the society shown to exist, which is the human body.
Even a single eye at a visible level is not an individual entity. It is a sub-society of the head, which is the sub-society of the body, which is a collection of sub-societies. This continue on and on and on to infinity.
The purpose of philosophy is to shed light on the world, not to create problems out of nothing. This previous theory of nullifying the concept of individuality seems to do the latter. What benefit do we receive by denying existence of individual entities? Does this help us at all?
At this stage I don't believe it does. However, I think once we realize that each of us is actually a society then we can better understand the way society itself is supposed to exist.
What is individuality? Something that is independent? Something that is alone? Individuality is a relative term. The earth is an individual planet in the solar system. North America is an individual continent on the society that is Earth. America is an individual nation in the North American society. Indiana is an individual state in the society of America. Upland is an individual town in the society of Indiana. Taylor University is an individual University in the Upland society. The Student Union is an individual building in the Taylor society. I am an individual student in the society of the Student Union. And since I am a man, I am a society as we have already seen.
Therefore, individuality is not a concrete quality. It is merely a focal point, a humanly designated word to represent the quality of oneness. It would be much more difficult to define a human being without designating this world. If someone were to ask "who is Chris Linehan?" and we had no concept of individuality, how would you answer that question?
The answer then would be something like this, Chris Linehan is the collection of two feet, two legs, penis, two hands, two arms, stomach, chest, neck and head sitting at the two legged and flat surface (table) with the collection of two feet, two legs, vagina, two arms, stomach, chest, neck and head that is called ______. Luckily, her and I are the only ones sitting in this section so that person would know that either I or her were actually Chris Linehan. Unfortunately, they would have to depants us to inspect which had the penis and which had a vagina to ascertain who was who. I don't particularly like this idea or this type of world. It is here that the concept of individuality plays such a crucial role.
Individuality is a word that we use to give us uniqueness in this world. As human beings we have this need to be individuals. Why? What drives this need? Pride. We are all prideful creatures (as we should be). It is our personal pride that drives us to differentiate ourselves. No two human beings look identical. Even the most similar of identical twins have noticeable differences in their physical appearances. However, this differentiation is not enough for us.
No, we work to set ourselves apart from one another. Even individual human beings who seem to work at great lengths to blend in do not desire to become completely faceless at every point in their lives. There is an urge to differentiate ourselves some how deep inside all human beings. This stems from pride, which comes from our self-serving motives.
Societies are founded on these self-serving motives. Here I mean societies of thinking beings, not of mindless parts.
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