A concrete and recognisable social association of individuals who are connected through more or less enduring mutual relations and are therefore interdependent.
- Explanation. Examples include a family, circle of friends, enterprise, university, association, political party and state. An individual may simultaneously be a member of several social circles. The concept denotes the concrete association itself, not the social category to which such an association belongs. The latter is referred to as a sphere.
Occurs in Propositions
- Proposition 005 – Multiple social circles
- Proposition 006 – Circle-dependent operative elements
- Proposition 007 – Every circle has a civilisation
- Proposition 008 – Groups and social circles
- Proposition 009 – Coherence within circle civilisation
- Proposition 023 – Reach promotes dissemination
- Proposition 024 – Acceptance does not establish validity
- Proposition 027 – Narrative and transmissibility
- Proposition 036 – Every social circle has an elite
- Proposition 038 – Changing composition of elites
- Proposition 039 – Elite recognition and direction
- Proposition 040 – Limits on elite action
- Proposition 044 – Sanctioning maintains civilisation
- Proposition 059 – Change across social circles
- Proposition 087 – Civilising function of movements
- Proposition 092 – The state as social circle
Last updated: 3 October 2026