English language is very dynamic. The dynamism of the language makes it more flexible and accommodating for other languages. The language is sometimes complex and this make people substitute one word for the other.
I have been wondering what people mean by ‘this person is not social’. They use the word when they feel the person in question does not mingle or associate with people. They also use the world when they see someone who always like being himself/herself. If you are not the type that goes out to party, club, smoke or drink alcohol, people conclude you are not social.
It is the wrong word to use in describing any human being. Social means living in a community or as group. Man (male and female) is a social being. This means we live as groups and not in isolation. This is not a trait or characteristic possessed by an individual but something that is true for all human beings.
This is also echoed by Aristotle when he maintained that man is a social animal. Man, he argued, is different from other animals because of his is civilized nature of going from good to better. No man, he argues, can live in isolation. To be a man is a to be a social being. A being that lives in the society.
Sociable means having company or being in the midst of people always. Sociable is a personal trait, something that differentiate person A from person B. A sociable person likes to go out, probably party and be in the midst of people. Someone who can hardly stay at home quietly or live a quiet life is a sociable person.
I am a social being because I am a man and I live in the society but I am not sociable. In fact, I lack any sociable trait. I always like being in my shell, my room is my company and my friend! Whenever I hear party or outing, I feel some how because I will be out of my room (shell). I always avoid anything that would make me be in crowd.
This does not in any way suggests that I am not a social being because by virtue of being a man, I am a social being.
A possible logical analogy:
It is possible to be social and not sociable
It is possible to be social and sociable
It is impossible to be sociable and not social
Therefore: Whether you are sociable or not, you are still social.
Sociable highlights the personal trait that an individual possesses which does not stop the person from being social.
It is obvious from the above that we use the word ‘social’ wrongly to describe someone who likes to be with people while the proper word is sociable. So despite being someone that does not like company, I am still a social being like every other human because we are all social animals.
Thanks for reading. Your boy @smyle the philosopher.