Gemeinschaft Society the Work Gemeinschaft Is Translated

Gemeinschaft Society The work Gemeinschaft is translated as "community" and is a reference to the "closeness of holistic social relationships said to be found in pre-industrial communities, and imputed to the community as moral worth." (Hughes, nd, p.1) Gemeinschaft is reported to be dependent in terms of its existence upon the member's "subjective will" and as stated in the work of Tonnies (1925) "The very existence of Gemeinschaft rests in the consciousness of belonging together and the affirmation of the condition of mutual dependence." (p.69) While a similar association exists in what is known as Gesellschaft, this society or association is based on unity based on "common traits and activities and other external phenomena." (Tonnies, 1925, p.67) Such as the "ethnic community, community of speech and community of work" are not Gemeinschaft since they are lacking the critical factor of "shared feeling which is essential to Gemeinschaft." (Hughes, nd, p.1) Tonnies writes in the work entitled "Community and Civil Society" that Gemeinschaft must be understood "as a living organism in its own right, while Gesellschaft is a mechanical aggregate and artifact." (nd, p.1) Everything that is real is reported by Tonnies to be "organic in the sense that it must be seen in conjunction with the whole material world, which governs its nature and movements." (nd, p.3) The theory of Gemeinschaft is such that has as its basis the belief that in the natural state a complete unity of human wills exists and that this unity is held steady even when individuals are separate.

This complete unit takes on various forms and this is stated to be dependent upon "how far the relationship between differently situated individuals is predetermined and 'given'." (Tonnies, nd, p.

22) Tonnies writes that the two things that these relationships have in common is the all encompassing "character of the sub-conscious 'vegetative' life that stems from birth: human wills, each one housed in a physical body are related to another by descent and kinship; they remain united, or become so out of necessity." (nd, p.22) Surety is illustrated in its greatest forms in three specific relationships including the relationship between a child and its' mother, the relationship between a woman and man as a couple and the relationship between those who are sisters and brothers or otherwise stated siblings who have the same mother.

The "seed of Gemeinschaft," or the belief held by the human being towards Gemeinschaft is that of any kin relationship with these three being the most important and the strongest from the view of Gemeinschaft. (Tonnies, nd, p.23) Each of the three relationships is held to be significant in their own special way.

Firstly, the relationship between the child and mother is stated to be "deeply rooted in pure instinct and pleasures, and at the same time the shading over from a physical to purely spiritual relationship is here at its most apparent, particularly at the beginning." (Tonnies, nd, p. 23) The relationship is characterized as a longitudinal relationship with the child being nurtured and protected by the mother until the child is able to take care of itself.

The relationship however remains connected due to shared memories and the sacrifices of the mother for the child. These are "direct mutual connections" but these are stated to be reinforced by others. The second type of relationship is a less than equal relationship according to Tonnies however, the children they have together, and sharing of the same home and possessions links these two together.

The third relationship involves "no such fundamental, instinctive liking and natural recognition of one another as there is between a mother and her child, or between members of the opposite sex." (p.24) It is stated by Tonnies that the greater the threat from the outside, the greater this group will bond to one another and be enabled "to fight and act collectively." (Tonnies, nd, p.24) This cooperation is stated to be such that makes life less challenging and to result in these individuals cherishing one another more than they otherwise would have done.

Authority in the community of Gemeinschaft is found in the role of fatherhood however, it is an authority that the holder of this authority does not used to their own ends but in a manner that results in an overall advantage to the entire community and involves overseeing the training and education of his offspring and sharing with his offspring the knowledge he has gained from his life experiences.

Within this framework of community, the first-born is stated to have a "natural advantage" as the first-born "stands nearest to his father and steps into his place as the father grows older." (Tonnies, nd, p.25) The implicit authority is handed down to the first born at the fathers' death.

This demonstrates the belief of constant life renewal and involves an uninterrupted succession of fathers and sons." (Tonnies, nd, p.25) Gemeinschaft is a community that is based on family relations and is based upon a hierarchical structure of authority and responsibility with a goal focused on the common good of all involved so that decisions made result in all members of Gemeinschaft realizing an advantage. This is a duty-based community and one that is tightly woven together.