In Islam, ethics plays a significant role in the reformation of individuals and society at large. In view of this, this article aims to present the importance of ethics in achieving a healthy society.
Without ethics, the plan for a healthy society is defeated
We know that man has a social life, and undoubtedly, “society” is the most important factor in the development, improvement and or retardation and degeneration of men. The sociologists believe that man without society loses everything (sciences and knowledge, mental perfection, affections, and even speaking and similar subjects). The situation of children being isolated from human society for any reason, and trained in an inhuman environment, like a “forest”, besides wild animals, proves this matter. In history, we have repeatedly observed such children. Neither they could speak and comprehend high concepts of human life, nor there was any trace of humanistic affection in them, and their behaviour and deed were just like wild animals of the forest.
Observing the situation of desert wanderers and nomadic tribes, whose society is very limited and small, and their communication with others is less, is good proof for showing that if a man loses society, what will be his destiny? This and many other pieces of evidence exactly approve the belief of sociologists that “society is prior to the individual”. Of course, an individual as a “living being” may be prior to society, but as a “human”, he will not be prior to society. And also, for this reason, the more social relations of man develop, the more his civilization, although in special aspects, improves. The facility of communication tools in the present world, which has caused more proximity and contact of individuals, is one of the main causes of the formation of present civilization, and also is considered a criterion for assessment of the degree of civilization in different countries of the world.
Privileges of man’s social life
Of course, social life is not restricted to man, because we know a group of insects as “social insects”, like the honey bee and termite, which enjoy a considerably respectable social life, and there is also a group of “social birds” among the birds, like swallows and storks, and there is a class of “social animals” among the wild animals like most of the monkeys. The social life of such animals may be even more developed than men in some aspects. For example, the beehive even does not exist idle and hungry, while it is not so in the most developed industrial countries of the world. The method of distribution of work and income among them is very interesting and strange and is peerless in human environments. However, their social life has two basic differences, totally separating them from man’s social life:
a- Social life of animals, whatever superior and more developed it may be, is limited to special parts, and the appearances of their social life are only summarized in some limited subjects, including nest, collecting purveyance, training infant, and such like, while the appearances of social life in man are much more, and approximately infinite, and not restricted to one or more subjects.
b- Social life of animals is completely uniform and without any change or alteration, and in other words, they are always repeating the same so that for example, the present beehives are completely similar to the petrified beehives of several million years ago which are discovered currently, and this certifies that engineering and in general, form of their life is not changed during these long years. While even during one century or less, the form of the social life of man is so changed in all stages that basically it is not comparable with the past. These two great differences distinguish man’s social life from other animals.
In summary, whatever perfection a man has achieved, either in mental, practical and moral aspects, or in material and industrial sections, or the other sections, he has indebted to the society, and without society, civilization and humanity and such like will never be meaningful.
Source of formation of Society
There are a lot of words among sociologists about why man has exceeded social life, and accepted its relatively difficult rules and regulations, but typically we can mention the following opinions:
1- Some believe that sense of solidarity is included in man’s nature, and he seeks society according to an instinctive inspiration.
2- Some others say fearing dreadful natural factors and wild animals has been the cause of the first tendency of man to social life.
3- Some others believe that the “instinct of employment”, existing in man, has made him to social life.
4- Some others say present social life is the result of a series of customs and habits, which has gradually led to this form.
5- Some others recognize the development of man’s requirements and his disability in fulfilling them as the factor of man’s social life.
6- Some believe that man’s social life is the result of family life and the gradual expansion of families.
7- And finally some say that discovering this concept that why man has intended to social life since millions of years ago when a man is created, is not possible. Because lapse of centuries and ages has obscured this and similar issues and we do not have sufficient documents available for judging in this respect. Although the recent view seems more realistic than the other opinions and judgments about the main cause of man’s attention to society in the past is not an easy task, but obviously, first of all, a present continuation of this social life is indebted to “desire in perfection” and “development of man’s requirements” and “disability in fulfilling them”.
It should be explained that on one hand man sees that his corporeal requirements including cloth, food, house, medicine, and his spiritual requirements, including sciences, knowledge, training, various tastes and initiatives, and feeling spiritual security and attracting others’ affections are so extensive and numerous that it is not possible for one to fulfil all of them alone. Rather, supplying each of these requirements, according to the fastidious nature of humans, should be performed by the individuals and groups being proficient and skilful in their task.
And on the other hand, man’s escape from monotony and uniformity of life and willingness for a better and more perfect life,–the features of man’s life, which are rarely found in the animals, make him join social life because this objective is not possible unless thanks to the accumulation of different thoughts, powers and talents. These two are the most important factors making man continue his social life.
Continue in the next article: ( A Healthy Society under the Grace of Ethics 2 )
