Social Capital

After reading the text reflecting Robert Putman’s ideas one of the strongest concepts which made an impression on me was that of the description of social capital itself. I have always thought of social capital, as the existence of “resources” within a given society- by resources I mean the number of individuals, the intellectual and physical capital they posses, the level of satisfaction within the society and numerous other factors. However, the ideas portrait in the text took this notion to another level, namely that of the connection between the resources with in the society and no so much the importance of their existence. The other main idea which stood out as I was reflecting on the text was that of the nature of social capital. Social capital, it seems, develops when the necessity for its existence is present. For example, the author points out that the generation of the 1930’s could be characterized with a much better developed social capital then those that followed. The 1930’s were a time of crisis for numerous reasons, and much like the example of “Operation Survival” the necessity for cooperation was not only present but painfully obvious. The result was much stronger interaction between individuals, and hence the development of social capital. The following generations, however, did not face the harsh conditions of their predecessors, and with that the necessity for knowing our neighbor significantly weakened.

As for the Fable about social capital, as most Fables do, did involve some stretches of the imagination. Nevertheless, as the author points out, the merits of its moral are of great importance. Change begins at the grass root level, and I definitely agree with the conclusion that if one is unable to serve his own “nest” then how is one to serve a greater proximity of individuals. The values of social responsibility are clearly made obvious by this story, and despite the simplicity of its tone it does draw the point across quite successfully!

Language as a Tool for Survival

The general impression I get from reading this text is one of positive sentiment. Hayakawa observes the importance of language from a few different perspectives, namely its importance in the human existence, the externalities of its use, and the inevitability of its misuse.
If we were to look at life as a case study for language, as the author has, we can observe how language provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate our abilities and measure them against other’s abilities in the struggle for survival. Furthermore, and more importantly, it reveals the necessity for cooperation. What differentiates us from other living organisms is our ability to not only sustain knowledge, both in time and in space, but to develop it. The magnificence of our current progress is only possible through this ability of ours. One of the thoughts which the text triggered in my mind is the irony of how often we tend to not only take language for granted, but more importantly the knowledge generated through time. Taking the full implications of language for granted can be accepted as simply one of the many blessings we do take for granted, but taking the knowledge stored through langue over the course of our existence is simply inexcusable. As the use of the fictional character T.C. Mitts explains popular culture is merely a molded down reflection of the truth. We take ideas and concepts and by the time they weave their way through the social conscious of a given place they have become very different from the original. This is another generally accepted reality, however, it is very frightening to find a society which rejects the knowledge time has to offer!