VIRTUAL SOCIOGENY: THE SOCIAL RELATION QUALITY LEAP
VIRTUAL SOCIOGENY: THE SOCIAL RELATION QUALITY LEAP
Prof. Dr. Stasys Paulauskas
Public Institution Strategic Self-Management Institute. Klaipėda, Lietuva
ABSTRACT. Humans continue to face a future filled with uncertainty, surprises, and danger. Following unsuccessful attempts to forecast future events—and, moreover, to construct idealized communistic societies—humanity declared the modelling of future social relations a “mission impossible.” However, this fatalistic decision contradicts the very nature of life and human genetics, which are inherently designed to plan and implement the future. The advent of virtualics—as a metatheory of virtual modelling—and the concept of world development spiral virtual models provide an opportunity to apply a virtual approach to social phenomena. Virtual Sociogeny, as the science of origins and developmental laws along with its realization mechanisms, becomes a natural gnostic tool that enables the discovery of historical trajectories in the evolution of social being—from the past, through the present, and into the future—based on the human development spiral. Rather than an abstract, metaphysical concept, social relation is understood here as the natural interaction process among humans, during which matter, energy, and evaluative information are exchanged. In this article, new definitions are introduced for a life unit, a social unit, as well as natural and artificial social units. The evaluative information—which includes criticism and self-criticism—forms the foundation for both self-management and the management of families and other social organizations. Criticism and self-criticism determine an individual’s self-awareness as well as their position and level within the social hierarchy. Social relations progress through distinct stages—from autocratic to democratic and finally liberal self-management—which depend on an individual’s level of personal development and capacity for free and responsible self-governance. At the lowest developmental levels, humans accept management by others (in the form of dictators, leaders, politicians, and parties, for example). Democracy, in this context, is seen as shared self-management in which the functions of programming, decision-making, implementation, and control operate in accordance with the natural Self-Management cycle. Liberal self-management, by contrast, does not rely on formal regulations because individuals possess the full capacity to self-manage freely and responsibly. Ultimately, the Virtual Sociogeny approach forms the basis for knowledge and criteria to address crucial issues concerning democracy, peace, and efficient development in the unavoidable future. Homo Virtualis is envisioned as the next stage of human society within the framework of the Global Brain.
KEYWORDS: Virtualics, Sociogeny, Social Relation, Social Quality Leap, Life Unit, Social Unit.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. THE MAIN PROBLEM
A comprehensive, large-scale scientific investigation of the social phenomenon—understood as an unavoidable aspect of human existence across past, present, and future times—has remained largely unexplored. Most of our understanding of social being is rooted in its analytical examination of the past. However, knowledge of the past alone does not suffice for ensuring effective future interactions among individuals and societies. Humanity continues to face a future replete with uncertainty, surprises, and peril. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to forecast the future—and even to construct idealized Communistic societies—the notion of modelling future social relations has been largely abandoned as a futile exercise.
Yet, this resignation is inconsistent with the inherent logic of life and human genetics. According to the theory of Anthropogeny, human life is inherently future-oriented, continuously connected to dynamic changes in the quality of social interactions, which represent the core form of human existence. Every action by a living organism entails the modelling of one’s own behaviour, the creation of a program that is designed for implementation soon. Thus, understanding or predicting even a short-term future holds immense benefit and value. This is precisely why innovators and geniuses continually engage in intellectual expeditions to the future, to discover and apply methods that improve the quality of life—especially regarding social phenomena, where the establishment of better social orders facilitates qualitative leaps in both life and innovative practices.
1.2. DISCUSSION OF THE INITIAL APPROACH
Social blindness originates, in part, from an outdated academic approach to social phenomena—one that relies heavily on metaphysical constructs such as the “World of Things.” In traditional sociological theories (e.g., those of Max Weber and others), societies were often analysed and described using verbal models. Advancements were made with the introduction of dialectical methodologies that concentrated on social relations while invoking dialectical laws (such as the unity and struggle of opposites, the negation of negation, and the transition from quantitative to qualitative change, as developed by thinkers like Hegel and Fichte). However, the lack of mathematical precision in such abstract verbal models has limited their applicability for reliable social modelling and future forecasting.
Greater optimism arises from adopting a progressive, genetic approach to social being. Closer to nature, the social phenomenon is examined through the science of Sociogeny (from the French sociogénie, derived from the Latin socius meaning “companion” or “social” and the Greek γένεσις denoting “origin” or “creation”). Although the concept was notably developed by Frantz Fanon in his 1952 work Black Skin, White Masks, the term sociogenesis generally describes the socially produced nature of phenomena, as opposed to those considered ontologically fixed.
1.3. THE VIRTUAL METHODOLOGY APPLIED
The metatheory of Virtualics—developed by the author—facilitates the construction of a quality-leap framework in methodologies, advancing through sequential stages: Physic, Metaphysics, Dialectic, Cybernetic, and Virtualics (see Figure 1). The persistent reliance on archaic metaphysical, scholastic, and verbal approaches to understanding a static society prevents the full appreciation of humanity’s evolving historical path from the Past through the Present and into the Future. This historical blindness contributes to numerous global issues—climate change, wars, poverty, inequality—that may eventually be overcome.
Concurrently, humanity has recently taken significant methodological steps (such as adopting dialectical, cybernetic, and virtualics approaches) that enable not only the qualitative verbal description of the world and society, but also their digital modelling through virtual simulators and artificial worlds. Beginning with the dialectical method, a concept of a quality-time scale emerges, allowing operations upon historical data from past to future scenarios.
Figure 1. Smartness Genesis Quality Leap.
Virtualics—as a methodology for virtual modelling and the construction of a world virtual spiral—eliminates the uncertainties inherent in solely verbal dialectical descriptions. According to virtual Anthropogeny, the essence of a human being is defined by social relations, whose developmental dynamics (manifested through a pendulum-like, pendular resonance reminiscent of sinusoidal motion) foster the creation of human content characterized by free, creative activity. Virtualics and Virtual Sociogeny provide tools to pinpoint the genesis and culmination of social relations along the life spiral and human quality leap. These concepts secure an integrated perspective of the social phenomenon’s duration—from the past to the future.
Virtual Sociogeny thus refers to the study of the essence, origins, developmental laws, and realization mechanisms of social phenomena, rooted in Virtualics methodology. It is a framework for modelling quality leaps in the realm of natural social relations, which lie at the heart of human society.
1.4. MAIN SUBJECT, AIM, AND TASKS OF THE ARTICLE
The principal subject of this article is the origin, principal developmental laws, and the realization mechanisms of social relations based on a quality leap form—integral to the human development spiral.
- Aim:
To present the essence, origin, developmental laws, and realization mechanisms of human social relations as interpreted through a virtual model.
- Tasks:
1. To describe the origin and essence of human social relations.
2. To present the developmental laws governing social relations.
3. To outline the mechanisms through which social relations are realized.
4. To define the transition of the social phenomenon to the next level of virtual relation quality.
2. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN SOCIAL RELATION
2.1. The Origin and Essence of Human Social Relation
A social relation (SR) is understood as a natural process of communication in which action programs—reflecting experiences from the past, present, and planned—are transmitted among real social actors such as individuals, families, and communities. These action programs, which are acquired through learning, experience, and practical application, function as vital “life units” that individuals use to improve the lives of others. They can be absorbed passively by observing natural behaviours or actively using symbolic communication. Verbal communication operates through a system of signs—when one person encodes their mental images into words, and another decodes them—thus enabling the detailed transfer of action programs that can later be implemented in practice.
2.2. The Spiral of Human Social Relation
2.2.1. The Place of Social Relation on the Human Quality Leap
Social relations can be modelled as a dynamic dichotomy composed of both progressive and regressive dimensions—denoted as \(K_{fi}(t)\) and \(K_{fe}(t)\), respectively (see Figure 2). The origin of social relations lies in the animal family unit, where the foundations of self-management, cooperation, and self-improvement are first established. Within such a family, roles and functions are naturally specialized based on factors such as gender, age, physical ability, and intellectual capacity. This functional specialization is determined by evolutionary criteria—namely, the time and energy expenditures required to meet both common and individual needs, as forged by historical practice.
Social relations are realized through the transfer of two types of substances: the physical (\(K_{fe}(t)\)), encompassing matter and movement, and the informational (\(K_{fi}(t)\)), which comprises the transmitted action programs. Initially, physical interactions dominate; however, with historical evolution, informational interactions become increasingly prevalent. The process commences at the “self-identity point” of the animal quality leap (point A), when the animal family is first formed. Due to the asymmetry in the stages of these quality leaps, social relations remain predominantly marked by physical interaction for a longer duration (from point A to B). The transition into the human realm of self-consciousness (point B) is characterized by a shift toward information-driven interaction, culminating in a virtual mode of communication at point C.
Figure 2. Human Quality Leap
2.2.2. Towards Informational Interaction
In the early stages of the social leap, physical conflicts and their resolutions were common. Over time, as humans increasingly mastered strategies to avoid direct physical confrontation, interactions evolved toward an informational mode. Recent studies suggest that this natural progression holds promise for resolving physical conflicts and even warfare by shifting the basis of interaction to information exchange. In essence, as societies move from a reliance on brute physical power towards sophisticated, communicative practices, future conflicts may eventually be mitigated through predominantly informational processes.
This shift significantly influences an individual’s self-identity. Traditionally, a person has identified with the physical body. However, the increasing understanding of brain function, neuronal networks, and genetic mechanisms, combined with the rise of informative interaction, has paved the way for viewing oneself as an informational subject—a “soul.” This emergent body-soul dichotomy helps explain the transition to Homo Virtualis beyond point C, where an individual’s virtual presence (e.g., through online social networks) becomes the primary medium for communication.
2.3. The Social Unit
A social unit (SU) is defined as the natural family comprising a male, a female, children, and extended relatives, which collectively ensure the continuity, development, and survival of humanity. Constitutional and biological criteria for a family emphasize that these elements are inseparable; no member can exist entirely in isolation. While individual family members exhibit natural genomic and psychological specialization, they remain equal as essential components of the family unit. Just as in many animal communities, the natural family strives to secure basic needs—food, shelter, security, etc.—and is inherently built upon principles of original freedom and self-sufficiency.
In the pursuit of improved living conditions, natural families have historically aggregated into larger clusters—tribes, settlements, villages, towns, cities, states, and ultimately, global communities. Extrapolating this trend suggests the evolution towards a global union and even the pursuit of extraterrestrial collaboration, in accordance with universal laws of life expansion. Human civilization, like all natural systems, is subject to continuous restructuring as it seeks optimal conditions for the natural family.
In contrast, human intelligence has enabled the deliberate creation of artificial organizations, such as business entities, military units, schools, and universities. Unlike natural families, these organizations comprise largely of sex-neutral individuals, organized to achieve specific goals through a division of labour and specialized functions. Natural and artificial organizations are governed by different sets of legal norms: natural families by family and marriage laws, and artificial organizations by labour, corporate, and other sector-specific regulations. Attempts to conflate these realms have often led to conflicts, as seen in debates surrounding issues such as LGBT rights. While partnerships based solely on the pursuit of personal benefit are effectively regulated within the frameworks of business law and taxation, they do not substitute for the historically rooted and functionally irreplaceable role of the natural family.
A critical aspect requiring discussion is the evolution of slavery as a form of labour exploitation. Historical transitions—from the chattel slavery of Ancient Greece and Rome, through medieval serfdom, to the modern system of wage labour—illustrate how natural human freedom, which is expressed through self-planning and self-implementation of action programs, has been systematically constrained. Industrialization further institutionalized these constraints by co-opting natural family members into industrial workforces as employees—often justified under the guise of equal opportunity—while obscuring the fundamental role of the family as the basic societal unit. With the advent of automation, robotics, and the virtualization of work functions, there is an emerging trend toward reducing the reliance on such artificial organizations. This, in turn, points to a future in which humanity gradually reverts to a model centred on the natural family’s strategic self-management.
3. THE ESSENCE AND MECHANISMS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION
3.1. THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN SOCIAL INTERACTION
Human beings are the carriers of social relations, which, in their modern form, are predominantly informational and virtual. An individual’s personality is validated by peers through a shared awareness of one’s position within the “Honour Pyramid.” At its core, social interaction involves the exchange of evaluative information—comprising both criticism and self-criticism. In this process, management and self-management are not only operational functions but also the very essence of social relations. These relations originate in the animal realm (with its emphasis on basic self-identity) and culminate in the higher-order self-awareness characteristic of human society.
The structure of social interaction rests on the interplay of criticism and self-criticism. Essentially, it is a process wherein certainty and meaning are transmitted between communicators via the verbal encoding of mental images. Whether the substance exchanged is material, energetic, or purely informational, every communicative act carries an expression of self-interest. In this sense, even seemingly altruistic communication is rooted in egoistic tendencies—albeit at more reflexive and higher-order levels. Importantly, every form of communication—physical or informational—is imbued with evaluative cues that reflect the relative positions of the communicating parties within the social hierarchy.
3.2. The Mechanism of Human Social Interaction
It is impossible for one individual to send completely “neutral” information; every message carries inherently positive or negative evaluative markers from the sender. Likewise, the recipient interprets these messages through a lens of their own evaluative biases. Consequently, social interaction invariably involves evaluative information—that is, forms of criticism and self-criticism—which play key roles in shaping an individual’s self-awareness. The natural drive in human behaviour is to increase one’s self-awareness and to secure a higher standing within the communal prestige hierarchy.
When a sender transmits information with negative connotations, it typically reflects an intention to elevate their own self-awareness relative to that of the receiver. Conversely, receiving negative evaluative feedback generally diminishes the recipient’s sense of self-worth. The psychological and physiological response to criticism involves the initiation of specific psychophysiological programs, which manifest as negative feelings and a surge in adrenaline. This adrenaline response, while potentially boosting short-term physical capacity, concurrently undermines long-term health if sustained by chronic negative feedback.
Within organizational contexts, criticism is often employed as a managerial tool aimed at adjusting the self-awareness levels of employees, so they align with the expectations of their official roles. An employee whose self-awareness is perceived as too high may be viewed as resistant to managerial directives. Effective organizational management requires that everyone’s level of self-awareness be maintained close to that prescribed by their designated role. As a corollary, self-criticism—wherein individuals actively adjust and reassess their self-awareness—reduces the need for external criticism by managers. In this framework, both criticism and self-criticism coalesce to form the basis of adaptive social interaction, which in turn structures organizational relationships. In any such setting, individuals assume different roles: those at higher hierarchical levels function as managers while others are managed.
Analogous to physical forces, the dynamics of social relations are governed by opposing attractions and repulsions. On one end, the “pull” exerted by cohesive, spiritually resonant centres (e.g., shared values, ideologies, and goals) attracts individuals and fortifies group identity; on the other, a “push” emerges from centres that are in decline, causing a dispersal of group members and eventually leading to the restructuring of the organization.
4. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT LAWS AND MECHANISMS
4.1. Social Development Laws
At its core, social relations embody a dichotomy—the historic interplay between the oppositional forces of management and self-management. Over time, these opposing forces continuously supersede one another, driving the evolution of social structures (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Dichotomic model of social relation.
According to principles of virtual logic, the direct side represented by self-management forms the underlying quality of social relations, whereas management emerges as a secondary, yet necessary, function in situations where self-management skills are not fully developed. In practice, every human being or community is fundamentally capable of self-management; however, due to limitations in experience or capability, individuals often temporarily delegate management responsibilities to others.
In a more detailed, trichotomic model, social relations are seen as progressing through three distinct phases: autocratic, democratic, and ultimately liberal quality leaps (refer to Figure 4). In this model, management transitions to effective self-management through clearly delineated stages.
Figure 4. Trichotomic model of social relation.
4.2. Social Development Mechanisms
This trichotomy can be understood as a dialectical triad comprising thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Initially, autocratic self-management predominates within the family unit, wherein the most experienced or powerful individual assumes control over the collective self-management process (see Figure 5). Over time, as self-management skills evolve and become more widely distributed, democratic self-management emerges. In this phase, distinct steps of the self-management cycle—action programming, decision making, implementation, and control—are delegated among members or subgroups, thereby reducing the unilateral authority of a single manager.
Figure 5. Human Self-Management cycle.
Democratic self-management is underpinned by codified laws and regulations that essentially reassign the functions of management to a shared, collective organ. Over historical time, as families and other social groups refine their self-management practices, they tend toward increasingly democratic structures. Essentially, democracy in this context signifies a state where the self-management cycle is disaggregated into individual functions, with a “separation of powers” ensuring that no single person or group dominates the process. In cases where these functions become overly concentrated, the self-management process deteriorates, and reversion to autocratic forms may occur.
Historically, the self-management cycle within organizations has remained relatively constant. In earlier periods marked by autocracy, managerial pyramids and the decisive will of a leader dominate. The feedback and control functions in these structures were reliant on parallel “programming” systems (embodied in institutions such as spiritual leadership, religion, trade unions, councils, committees, parliaments, or boards—as illustrated in Figure 6). As collective self-management capabilities in action programming grew stronger, these collective organs gradually shifted power away from individual managers, a transformation that often culminated in a democratic revolution within the organization.
Figure 6. Transition of a power in social organisation.
Finally, liberal self-management becomes attainable when every member of a group reaches a level of competence that allows independent, responsible self-management without reliance on formal laws and regulations. In liberal self-management, the function of self-programming is intrinsically internalized by each mature and free individual. This stage represents the culmination of social relations (often denoted as point C in earlier models) and paves the way for new forms of human interaction—such as virtual interactions over the internet. It is at this juncture that we anticipate the synthesis of individual actors into a complex, collective entity—a “Global Brain”—analogous to the way individual microorganisms once coalesced to form higher-order life forms.
5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OF SMART HUMANITY
The evolution of social relations—beginning with the animal family and advancing through centuries of human development—now appears to be converging toward a new epoch. Over recent decades, the emergence of personal computers and the Internet has initiated the replacement of traditional physical interactions with virtual ones. This transformation signals the advent of a new mode of existence—a “5th quality” of life characterized by the emergence of Homo Virtualis.
Social relations are a complex transactional process among human beings, wherein matter, movement, and information are continuously exchanged in an informational medium. Historically, physical contact dominated social interaction; however, this has steadily given way to predominantly virtual, information-driven interactions. As individuals increasingly perceive themselves not only as embodied beings but also as informational entities (or “souls”), they gain the capacity to satisfy their needs via informational means. This shift carries profound implications: it anticipates the cessation of traditional warfare and the onset of peaceful coexistence, ultimately paving the way for the creation of a united global society.
This transformation is already manifest in the tension between key international actors—such as the United Nations and the United States, the European Union, and China—all of whom vie for influence by championing varied conceptions of “democracy.” Yet, as these actors debate their divergent understandings of democratic governance, it becomes apparent that the deeper, naturally emergent sense of democracy is unique and singular. Embracing this natural democratic principle is essential for developing a unified framework for global governance—one that can facilitate the establishment of a peaceful Global Union free from weapons and armed conflicts.
All these global actors possess roughly equal potential to guide this natural process. However, the European Union—created as a project of peace and cohesion within Europe—presents one of the most promising models. The EU’s evolution, which now encompasses 27 member states, could serve as a steppingstone toward a future Global Union. In 2016, I contributed to this dialogue through my work on “Strategic Self-Management toward Global Union” as part of the European DiEM25 movement.
A democratic revolution on a global scale requires not only a paradigm shift in societal values but also explicit legal recognition in international law. In the absence of such legal frameworks, transitions from autocracy to democracy have historically been marked by physical conflict. It is therefore imperative to establish criteria that legally recognize a nation’s readiness for democratic self-management and, consequently, its right to pursue independent self-governance.
At the most fundamental level, the primary social organization—the human family—self-manages as a single, integrated organism through intrinsic self-management mechanisms. Within the spectrum of social relations, the interplay between management and self-management (expressed through mechanisms of criticism and self-criticism) evolves through distinct stages: beginning with autocratic, progressing toward democratic, and ultimately reaching a liberal quality stage. During the Industrial Revolution, specialized activities necessitated the temporary delegation of leadership from the family unit to higher-level societal or business organizations. Yet, as democratic principles free individuals from the direct control of personal managers, these artificial societal constructs gradually lose relevance. Recent phenomena—such as the COVID-19 pandemic, increased robotization, and the virtualization of business and societal interactions—signal a return to the family as a haven of well-being, love, and longevity.
In this context, Virtual Sociogeny provides a framework for liberating families from antiquated forms of management and autocratic control. By replacing the persistent reliance on traditional politology, scholastic philosophy, and conventional sociological models, families can realize their potential for self-management through what may be termed “family business self-management”—an approach that offers value on a market-equivalent basis to other families.
CONCLUSIONS
A virtual approach to Sociogeny enables the modelling of a social quality leap that spans from the animal family origin to the era of virtual communication. Virtualization has provided a mechanism to locate and understand this social phenomenon along the human development spiral, revealing distinct qualitative stages of autocratic, democratic, and liberal self-management as central to the evolution of social relations.
Social interaction, implemented through processes of criticism and self-criticism, acts as the conduit through which certainty and self-awareness are exchanged and constructed. From the perspective of virtual relations, an individual’s personality is validated by their position within a collective self-awareness hierarchy or “prestige pyramid.”
Furthermore, social organizations utilize the natural self-management mechanisms inherent to human interaction. In the autocratic stage, these mechanisms are centralized in a single person (e.g., a leader or manager); whereas, in democratic contexts, the self-management cycle is distributed among various actors, in alignment with the principle of separation of powers. Robust self-management faculties thus enable the transition from autocratic to democratic forms, laying the legal and normative foundations for a peaceful global order and for the eventual establishment of a democratic Global Union.
Ultimately, Virtual Sociogeny offers empirical and conceptual tools for emancipating families and social organizations from outdated, verbally mediated systems of autocratic control—promoting instead an original model of family business self-management that can be equated in market terms with other similar units.
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