Man is not a human being unless he is social: what he depends on is his social being, and what he makes of his social being is irrevocably bound to that he makes of himself. He has the ability to master his internal being and the main way to self-mastery leads to his joining with others like himself in social acts. The active social units may be a community or an association. To be active is to be in charge; to be passive is to be under control be it of natural processes, of social waves and streams, or of active others. This book presents a detailed study of the conditions, components and above all, the dynamics of an active social self. It focuses on ways in which the active society differs from non-active, post-modern societies as well as modern ones, provides indicators of a transition in an active direction, and suggests conditions under which this transition may be initiated, advanced, accelerated, or blocked.
