disturbing between state and civil society
Answers
Difference between State and Society
(1) Society is wider in scope than State:
Society is a very broad and comprehensive organisation of human beings. It is formed by all types of relations (social, economic, cultural, political, moral, religious, and others) that emerge and develop among the people who are members of the society.. As against this, State is only a political institution or organisation. It is concerned primarily with the exercise of power in society. State constitutes the sovereign power-system of the Society.
(2) Society is prior to State:
Society is rooted in human nature. As social animals people naturally enter into social relationships and form society. The birth of society took place in the earliest period of history. State also has a very long history behind it and yet, everyone agrees, it came after the birth of society. The need for protecting the social relationships is the need for law and order led to the birth of the State. State had its birth after the evolution of society into a territorially settled society of people.
(3) State is a politically organised unity of the people, Society is a natural unity of people bound together in social relationships:
Society includes both organised and un-organised groups of people, their activities and relationships. It consists of the vast network of all human relationships in society. . State is a politically organised community of people living on a definite portion of territory and characterised by the exercise of sovereignty over the people. State is the organised political community of the people of a society.
(4) Government is the agency of the State; Society has no formal organised agent:
State acts through its government. Government is the agent of the State. It exercises the sovereignty of the State. . Society has no agent or agency. It is a self-regulating system of relationships. It functions naturally on the basis of its customs, traditions, usages and naturally evolved moral codes of conduct. Society lacks a formal organisation.
(5) Sovereignty belongs to State and not to Society:
Sovereignty is the most essential property and the hallmark of the State. State alone exercises supreme power over all its citizens and their institutions. It is the law and order-maintaining institution of Society. Its laws bind all the members of the Society. Society is a system of social relations.
(6) Territory belongs to State and not to the Society:
State is a territorial entity. Definite territory is an essential element of the State. Society has no territory. Even vagabonds bound by social ties constitute a society, non-residents Indian who have got the citizenships of other States continue to members of Indian society.
(7) Society is concerned with both internal and external human behaviour, State is concerned with external aspects of human behaviour:
State is concerned with external human behaviour. Its laws lay down rules which regulate the external behaviour of the people and their groups, institutions, and organisations. State uses its coercive power on each such person/group/institution which commits any breach of law.
In contrast, the society is concerned with all aspects of human behaviour and relations in society. Social customs and traditions, and rules of morality cover all types of social relations at all levels—individual, family, community, neighborhood, regional and national.
(8) Sociology studies Society and Political Science studies State:
From our point of view society i.e. social relations constitute the object of study in Sociology whereas State and political relations are the objects of study in of Political Science. Since all political relations and institutions are parts of the social system/society, Sociology is also interested in these.
Likewise, Political Science even while studying State and political relations also needs some knowledge of all social relations. Both Political Science and Sociology are closely related social sciences. Thus, there are clear-cut and identifiable differences between State and Society. But both are deeply inter-related.
State always works for securing laws, order and security in the Society. Its power regulates all social relations likewise social relations always have a deep and big impact upon political relations. Caste groups, communities, religious groups, family, customs, traditions, ways of social life, ethnic relations, and the like are all important factors of Politics. Hence, both State and Society are closely related and yet quite different from each other.