Physical Aspects of Social Reality and Objective Mental Reality
摘要
This chapter is devoted to the analysis of the physical behavior of members of society as a key mechanism for the verification and maintenance of the social dimension of objective mental reality. The author emphasizes that actions themselves are not a part of objective mental reality but are to a large degree defined by it—stable verbal constructions that represent social entities, their relations, and connections. The behavior of all members of society, expressed in verbal and nonverbal physical actions that correspond to the representations of shared objective mental reality, including its social domain, ensures its indisputable and unquestionable verification in the eyes of each individual and reproduces the social order. This chapter describes the ways in which actions bring about the objectivation and legitimation of norms, roles, and institutions. Special attention is paid to entities that regulate behavior, such as morality, conscience, duty, shame, authority, and power. It is demonstrated that these are created by individuals, preserved in objective mental reality, internalized from there by new generations, and become motivational foundations for socially acceptable actions. These entities not only ensure the stability of society but are also vital for each individual—protecting them from arbitrariness, strengthening trust, and creating a space of predictability. The author comes to the conclusion that social reality is sustained not only by shared representations but also by the constant, consistent actions of the individuals that make it, as it were, perceivable and more stable.