Social order is a concept used in sociology, history and other social sciences.

It refers to a set of linked social structures, social institutions and social practices which conserve, maintain and enforce "normal" ways of relating and behaving. Social structure (also referred to as a social system) is a system of social relations. ... A social institution is any institution in a socity that works to socialize the groups or people in it. ...

Thus, a "social order" is a relatively stable system of institutions, pattern of interactions and customs, capable of continually reproducing at least those conditions essential for its own existence. The concept thus refers to all those facets of society which remain relatively constant over time.

These conditions could include both property, exchange and power relations, but also cultural forms, communication relations and ideological systems of values. An ideology is an organized collection of ideas. ... Value is worth in general, and it is thought to be connected to reasons for certain practices, policies, actions, beliefs or emotions. ...

The "problem of social order," how and why it is that social order exists at all, is historically central to sociology. Thomas Hobbes is recognized as the first to clearly formulate the problem, to answer which he conceived the notion of a social contract. Social theorists (such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, and Jürgen Habermas) have proposed different explanations for what a social order consists of, and what its real basis is. For Marx, it is the relations of production or economic structure which is the basis of a social order. For Durkheim, it is a set of shared social norms. For Parsons, it is a set of social institutions determining moral behaviour. For Habermas, it is all of these, as well as communicative action. Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... Hobbes redirects here. ... Social contract theory (or contractarianism) is a concept used in philosophy, political science and sociology to denote an implicit agreement within a state regarding the rights and responsibilities of the state and its citizens, or more generally a similar concord between a group and its members, or between individuals. ... Social theory refers to the use of abstract and often complex theoretical frameworks to explain and analyze social patterns and large-scale social structures. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883 London) was an immensely influential German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... David Émile Durkheim (April 15, 1858 - November 15, 1917) is known as the founder of modern sociology. ... Talcott Parsons (December 13, 1902-May 8, 1979) was the best-known sociologist in the United States, and one of the best-known in the world for many years. ... Jürgen Habermas Habermas redirects here. ... Relations of production (German: Produktionsverhaltnisse) is a concept frequently used by Karl Marx in his theory of historical materialism and in Das Kapital. ...

Social order contrasts with social change. Social change implies that the existing order or status quo is modified, changed or breaking down (see social disintegration). One of the most basic conflicts in politics is between those seeking to conserve social order and those seeking social change. Social order is rarely absolute, since there will always be something that is changing. Nevertheless, there is both continuity and discontinuity in social existence; some things change, other things stay the same. The human brain is unable to cope with a situation where everything changes constantly, and thus it seeks to impose order, even where it doesn't truly exist. Social disintegration is a sociological term for the tendency for industrialised, or otherwise modernised, societies to tend towards their own destruction due to the breakdown in traditional social support systems. ... Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government. ...

There are distinct features of social ordering in relation to law and social justice. These features include:

1) personal and interpersonal conflicts become state property

2) "individuality" is undermined in this process

3) the use of rationalizations to justify behaviour

4) the use of "justice reform" as a tool of the state to change the rules of the game to the advantage of the rich and powerful

See also

• bureaucracy
• order
• reproduction
• social
• social change
• social control
• social contract
• social decline
• social disintegration
• social relations
• social theory
• society

Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science. ... // Order may refer to: Religious Holy Orders, the rite or sacrament in which clergy are ordained The monastic orders, originating with Anthony the Great and Benedict of Nursia from circa 300 the military orders of the crusades the various chivalric orders established since the 14th century Honors Order (decoration) Legal... For other uses, see Reproduction (disambiguation) Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. ... // Latin root meaning The term social is derived from the Latin word socius, which as a noun means an associate, ally, companion, business partner or comrade and in the adjectival form socialis refers to a bond between people (such as marriage) or to their collective or connected existence. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Social control refers to social mechanisms that regulate individual and group behavior, in terms of greater sanctions and rewards. ... Social contract theory (or contractarianism) is a concept used in philosophy, political science and sociology to denote an implicit agreement within a state regarding the rights and responsibilities of the state and its citizens, or more generally a similar concord between a group and its members, or between individuals. ... Decline, verb To politely refuse or reject. ... Social disintegration is a sociological term for the tendency for industrialised, or otherwise modernised, societies to tend towards their own destruction due to the breakdown in traditional social support systems. ... Although Harvard University has featured a Department of Social Relations (in which Talcott Parsons played a prominent role), and although the term social relations is frequently used in social sciences, there is no commonly agreed meaning for this concept (see also the entry social). ... Social theory refers to the use of abstract and often complex theoretical frameworks to explain and analyze social patterns and large-scale social structures. ... Human relationships within an ethnically diverse society For other uses, see Society (disambiguation). ...

References

• Dennis H. Wrong, The Problem of Order: What Unites and Divides Society, New York:The Free Press, 1994. ISBN 002935515X.