Every person has their own concept of a free society: freedom of thought, the right to choose, liberation from stereotypes… A society free from the shackles of government and excessive tyranny from the authorities is considered the most desirable in the modern world.
Utopia
Complete free-thinking, lack of barriers to challenging someone's ideas, low level of influence of various power structures on individuals - all this, according to many years of research, cannot be fully realized in a reasonable society. Most scientists consider a free society a utopia, and all because within certain limits it is impossible to realize such a dream, since in any case the rights of other people will be infringed.
For example, during the consideration of someone's proposal, some people will be dissatisfied and will express their dissatisfaction directly to the author of the idea. Due to the groundlessness of such a protest, any important bill will not be able to enter into force, which is fraught with inhibition of the further development of society.
The term "freesociety": what do people mean by it?
For many, this concept is associated with emancipation in behavior, in the choice of a sexual partner (bisexuality, homosexuality), as well as with anarchy and complete lawlessness. Few individuals are able to fully understand what a free society really is. The concept of such social groups is deciphered as follows: the rights of the state are limited, it has the ability to intervene in the life of an individual if it is necessary to maintain the normal functioning and development of society. That is, the power structures representing the authorities can control a person only with a possible threat from his side to other people.
Signs of a free society
A free-thinking society, where the key figure is the people and their needs, cannot develop without certain factors. The freedom of each member of society consists not only in his right to choose, but also in the ability to act as he pleases, naturally, within the framework of established principles and morality.
The following are considered signs:
- Freedom to do business.
- A large number of political parties representing the interests of different segments of the population.
- Democracy elected as the main government option.
- The daily life of citizens is regulated remotely, with the help of generally accepted democratic laws and moral norms.
Sociological models of society
Different models of a free society, as well as other social groups, are presented below:
- Functionalist. Society is a stable and relatively stable, integrated structure. It consists of a society whose activities are aimed at ensuring stability, while taking into account the values of the people.
- Sociocultural. Combines the doctrine of man from sociology and anthropology. The following aspects are important here: morality, social norms, the role of a person in the environment, family, the relationship of people among themselves.
- Conflict. Society is constantly changing, its changes can be both individual and large-scale. Social conflicts are inevitable, since society is based on forcing some individuals to submit to others.
Examples
Despite the fact that the very concept of a free society is considered a utopia, there are 2 types of political control systems used in different states. Examples of a free society:
- Liberal state.
- Democratic state.
Civil society can also be called free. And from history, the USSR could be cited as an example. But there is one nuance here. Since the formation of the Land of Soviets, the word "freedom" appeared in almost every slogan of various parties. However, over time it became clear that the population of the state can hardly be called a free society. Undoubtedly, utopia was present inin some aspects, but still the authorities maintained total control over their citizens (KGB, intelligence, "vigilant fellow citizens", vigilantes).
Democratic State
Democracy is the fundamental way of governing a country in general and members of various social groups in particular. This is a rather complex, multifaceted concept. A society that is free from excessive attention from the side of justice, and also aimed at realizing the will, desires and interests of the people, is democratic. In modern politics, it is rare to find states that elect an exclusively democratic regime of government.
Signs
A free and democratic society cannot exist without certain conditions. Its development is directly related to the presence of:
- Suffrage (and for every member of society).
- Equality, freedom of speech.
- State power, completely dependent on the opinion and will of the people.
- Parties, organizations that meet the preferences and interests of citizens.
Liberal state
In liberalism, the prerogative is the freedom of the individual of each individual citizen. Moreover, democracy, various moral principles and foundations are the means to achieve freedom. In a liberal state, no attempts on the part of the authorities to control the spiritual, economic activities of the population are unacceptable. However, there is one but in a political regime of this kind: a society free from pressure fromlaw enforcement and other tools of power, is not completely free. The state still controls individuals, as if saying: "You can change and do whatever you want, but you can't change the government." The liberal regime is considered an unstable, transitional form of government.
Signs
Liberalism is characterized by the following features:
- Political instability.
- Continuous formation of various propaganda opposition parties.
- Separation of power into judicial, executive, legislative, in order to protect citizens from possible arbitrariness on the part of any structures.
- Implementation of programs that do not have power and popularity among the people.
- A call for free market relations, recognition of private property.
- Acceptance of the rights and freedoms of the people, development of sources of information independent of the authorities.
