Human community established on the basis of the practice of material production. The English word society originated from the Latin word socius, meaning friend, partner and companion. Japanese scholars use “community/society” to translate society, which is also generally accepted by Chinese scholars. Historically, there have been two understandings of society, nominalism and realism. Nominalism holds that society is an empty name without substance, and that it is only the individuals who really exist. Realism holds that society is a real substance, made up of various norms and systems, external to and forced upon the individuals. Nominalism attaches importance to individuals at the micro-level, while realism attaches importance to the social structure at the macro-level. Neither of them could comprehensively grasp the essence of society. . .
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