Body and Society- a Critical Examination of the Theory of Social Organism

Society is often described as if it were a biological organism. This kind of analogy or metaphor facilitates understanding of society as an abstract object through more tangible terms which usually applied in describing human body. However, it runs a risk of regarding a biological organism and a society as a continuous realities, which is not so. Durkheim underlined the fundamental difference between individual and society in his efforts to establish sociology as an independent academic field. Canguilhem argued that a biological organism and a society are operated according to the norms that are different by nature. The norms of a biological organism are immanent whereas those of a society are external. Accordingly, it is impossible to establish an unanimously agreed norm in a society. In addition he exposed ideological intention is implied in the theory of social organism which maintains the continuity between individual and society. It aims at justifying the current ruling order by naturalizing the social order. Therefore, every kind of theory which aims at explain what is beyond its reach needs to be carefully and critically examined because it tends to regard different dimensions of beings as the identical one.restrictio