Community and Society – A Reflection

The distinction between “community” and “society” is a foundational concept in modern sociology—primarily shaped by Ferdinand Tönnies in his seminal work of 1887. He defined two forms of human coexistence: the organically grown, emotionally close community and the functionally rational, purpose-oriented society. What Tönnies described has become our daily reality: We live in a society increasingly defined by structures, contracts, rights, and systems—where communities often dissolve or become marginalized.

Michael Opielka has brought this thought into the present day. In his work Community in Society, he attempts not to abandon the idea of community but to rethink it—not as a return to the past, but as a social resource within modern, pluralistic societies. For him, community is not an antithesis to modernity but a mode of its humanization.

Georg Jellinek aligns with this intellectual movement, albeit in entirely different language, when he speaks of the tension between imperium and libertas. Even in democracy, he writes, this struggle will continue. Protecting minorities, preserving freedom against the temptation of sheer power—this for him is the expression of a living idea of law. It is not merely an instrument but a moral energy source for society.

From the perspective of the project, this is precisely the point: Society must not decay into a mere system. It needs the human corrective of community—spaces of encounter, trust, listening, responsibility. Community is not romanticized idyll but concrete forms of human connection in everyday life: in families, circles of friends, initiatives, and even solidarity-driven politics.

The project sees no tragedy in the tension between community and society but rather a task: How can we remain human within complex systems? How can we infuse institutions with warmth, processes with trust, and justice with compassion? The answer lies not in an either-or but in building bridges—between heart and mind, structure and relationship, law and justice.

Jellinek is right: The struggle between imperium and libertas will persist. Yet its form and outcome depend on whether we are willing to continually carry community into the fabric of society.