Catapang, Angelo Johanne A.

3rd Year

Political Philosophy

What is Neighbor and Socius?

What is Neighbour?

A neighbour is defined as someone whom you meet and have a relationship without
utilizing our role in the society as an individual living in it. This commonly characterized by the
intimacy of the relationship. The persons that we have a deep or majority of the times personal
relationship with are the common examples of this such as our parents, family, friends, and many
more.

Upon researching regarding the definition of a neighbour, this commonly misunderstood

as someone who lives next to your house or if we are using theology, everyone that you meet
whether it may be your enemy or friends. I personally haven’t really considered in depth if
someone is or has a personal relationship with me but according to the term that I used to define
the neighbour from it is someone that is close to me meaning my family even if I have a limited
time with them since I am a seminarian and majority of my life is composed of either staying
inside the seminary to study to become a priest or a good person in the future or in the parish
wherein, I served God in the Church.

Thus, I can define the term neighbour as someone that I have a deep and intimate
relationship with whom I could always have a deep and concrete connection with since I can
fully trust them in my life and personal space.

What is Socius?

A socius is a term used to define a person whom you have a relationship with through
their social functions that they are performing inside the society. A common example of this is
the professors or teachers that we have inside the academy, schools, or university or if you work
inside the office would be your boss and your officemates in your job. This may or may not
evoke any intimacy or personal connection with someone and may not result to any relationship
at all. To plainly put, it is the line “Only for work and nothing else.”

This is what I define majority of the friendships that I have currently or maybe some
people also since they sometimes only see me as someone that they can exploit in terms
resources and time (this does not refer to the current experience I am having but in the past
before I began studying inside the seminary.). Friends with benefits as the modern world would
define it since you only became friends because there is something for you when befriending him
or her and yet again no certainty regarding having any personal connection or relationship.

Thus, I can say that a Socius is what the modern world would call as friends with benefits
since you would attain something beneficial for both parties which usually be in the line of work.
There is the possibility of not having any personal connection since this is usually on the benefit
and not the relationship or connection

What is the Relationship between the Socius and Neighbour?

Upon defining the term neighbour and socius, many would assume that they have a
connection and to that I agree with a large doubt in my mind. I would agree with what the
majority would be thinking since some relationships are only on the line of work and some are
genuine relationships with someone. This can be simply defined as the 2 faces of man whenever
it come to work. When at work, they always put on a serious attitude and have a connection or
friendship with someone that would benefit them without any personal relationship at all. When
they are outside work, they would usually have a bond and personal connection with their
colleagues over a jug of beer or over dinner or outings etc. So to that I see that they are
connected and inseparable in a way since they always have to go hand in hand or else society
wouldn’t exist in a way.

The only doubts that exist in my mind regarding this relationship is that at these modern
times friendship is mostly for the benefits that it would give you and not the benefit that they
would also get from you. But never the less society cannot be built if these 2 concepts of
relationships with someone is not in unison.