Human reflection on social life has long revolved around the question of how the individual relates to the collective. Every traditional philosophy is full of this debate; earlier thinkers emphasized ‘society’ over the individual, but the modern thinkers talked about the primacy of the individual over the society.
Aristotle’s famous quote, which says, “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human." Though, Nietzsche warned against the individual being subsumed by the collective.
We can get several such arguments on both of the sides. However, it is one of those debates that can’t be answered objectively, as both are the different faces of the same coin. But as we live our lives today in a society that is integrated and closer than ever before, the awareness of the individual rights is at its peak; hence, the responsibility to put a check over the encroachment of society over self or self over society is the highest. Also, in an increasingly interconnected world, local events often acquire global consequences and vice versa. However, to make the world a better and balanced place, it is necessary to have an equilibrium, whether it’s between society and individuality or globality and locality.
Therefore, the philosophy of this journal would be centred upon Aristotle's ‘Golden Mean.’ On the principle that the virtue lies in finding the middle ground, or balance, between two extremes (vices) of excess and deficiency, emphasizing moderation in actions and emotions for a virtuous, fulfilling life.
Hence, the role of SAMAJIK SAMĪKṢĀ (The Social Scrutiny) as a journal with this philosophy would be to provide an independent, balanced, and critical scrutiny of the social discussions happening across the global society. The methodology while examining any matter would be based upon balancing all the viewpoints. The journal as a platform would try to explore the ‘grey’ in the clash of ‘black’ and ‘white.’ It would not bind itself to any limits of fields; in fact, it would examine competing interpretations across domains as far as it concerns society. Its writing aims to remain accessible while remaining conceptually grounded. Our commentary would largely focus on how isolated events impact global society, as well as the repercussions of global events on the most marginalized sectors of the community.
SAMAJIK SAMĪKṢĀ is conceived as an ongoing exercise in careful scrutiny, where social questions are examined with balance, clarity, and restraint.
— Editor