Can society function without government?
Yes
Side Score: 21
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No
Side Score: 12
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There has not been a time when there has not been a LEADER that wasn't chaotic that I know of. A small group can have a leader, a large society needs a government. Hopefully a government that can take the majority's wishes, see the merits AND faults in them and convince others to accept the result. Some leaders can do this, some can trump the whole deal. Humans need someone in control, worst scenario, the leader is out of control, like Stalin - Hitler - and - now. ;-) Side: No
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@AlofRI If the leader needs to be controlled by the people then why do you need a leader at all? I think we should come to decisions via a process of determination rather than by some individual or body of individual's decree. A sufficiently flawed leader can bring down a whole civilization but if we where governed by a proven method without putting authority in a few individuals and trusting their opinions it would be much less precarious. Side: Yes
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If the leader needs to be controlled by the people then why do you need a leader at all? I think this is the core question in regard to why a republic instead of a democracy. It is a damned good question. A sufficiently flawed leader can bring down a whole civilization but if we where governed by a proven method without putting authority in a few individuals and trusting their opinions it would be much less precarious. This is a damned good answer. The only part that you missed is the underlying reason. Humans, like most animals as complex (or more) as lobsters are naturally hierarchical. This makes a pure democracy automatically unstable, as people left to our own devices, would divide into tribes under dominant leaders, and the most numerous would ultimately oppress the less numerous, pillage the society, and some sufficiently dominant figure would ultimately rise out of the ashes to become the sort of dictator you warn about. However, a republic is a happy medium, and it seems to avoid the precariousness you mention. It is obvious why the leaders must be controlled, given the nature of the drive for dominance, and a republic provides that mechanism. On the converse, the elected leaders (who are dominant sorts that would otherwise vie for the position of dictator) keep the mob from using the vote to pillage wholesale. Side: Yes
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Society and government are not ultimately differentiable SOCIETY 1 : companionship or association with one's fellows : friendly or intimate intercourse : company 2 : a voluntary association of individuals for common ends; especially : an organized group working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or profession 3 a : an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another b : a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests 4 a : a part of a community that is a unit distinguishable by particular aims or standards of living or conduct : a social circle or a group of social circles having a clearly marked identity literary society b : a part of the community that sets itself apart as a leisure class and that regards itself as the arbiter of fashion and manners 5 a : a natural group of plants usually of a single species or habit within an association b : the progeny of a pair of insects when constituting a social unit (such as a hive of bees); broadly : an interdependent system of organisms or biological units GOVERNMENT 1 : the act or process of governing; specifically : authoritative direction or control 2 obsolete : moral conduct or behavior : discretion 3 a : the office, authority, or function of governing b obsolete : the term during which a governing official holds office 4 : the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : rule 5 a : the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it She works for the federal government. b : the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out 6 : the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: such as a : the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency The government was slow to react to the crisis. b capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government c capitalized : a small group of persons holding simultaneously the principal political executive offices of a nation or other political unit and being responsible for the direction and supervision of public affairs: (1) : such a group in a parliamentary system constituted by the cabinet or by the ministry (2) : administration 4b Side: Yes
Yes, I am aware of the basic definitions of 'society' and 'government'. You presume that because they are defined separately that they are therefore differentiable; however, synonyms receive their own respective definitions but are used interchangeably so it does not follow that having different definitions means 'society' and 'government' are substantively differentiable. Moreover, the conditions of the definitions you've provided overlap one another (e.g. society as nation) which warrants my position, rather than undermining it. None of that is really relevant, though, because I am suggesting a practical rather than conceptual distinction. My point is not that many people do not hold 'society' and 'government' as distinct in concept, but that this (exceedingly vague) conceptual distinction is superimposed over a practical reality which in fact lacks that distinction. In other words, 'society' and 'government' do not have objective referents (much as 'unicorn' and 'gargoyle' do not). I can provide exhaustive definitions of 'dragon' and 'wyvern', but that does not mean that conceptual distinction translates into an actual distinction. Side: No
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