A Society Without a Formal Authority
In the seenth century, European soldiers who came across some Indian groups in the western Great Lakes found that several native tribes (部落) were living in the area without a formal leadership system. They appeared to be "quite friendly with each other without a formal authority!"
Not only did the Indians appear to lack a formal system of authority, but they also deeply hated any efforts to control their actions. All members of the tribes knew what was required of them by lifelong (一生的) familiarity with the tasks of the area. These tasks tended to be , since the Indians’ rate of social change was slow. Thus, although subgroups such as soldiers had recognized leaders, no real authority was required. Rather than giving direct orders (which were considered rough), members of the tribes would arouse others to action by examples.
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to carry out such a system in our own society. Most of us have gown up under one authority or another for as long as we can remember. Our parents, our teachers, our bosses, our government all have the recognized right under certain conditions to tell us what to do. The authority is so much a part of our culture that it is hard for us to imagine a workable society without it. We have been used to relying on authority to get things done and would probably be uncomfortable with the Indian methods of examples on a large scale.
Of course, the major reason why the Indian system would not be suitable for us is that our society is too large. The number of tasks that various members of our society have to perform often under tight time and resource limitations could not be treated by the Indian system, in modern societies, the formal authority system is necessary to achieve any social objectives.
A Society Without a Formal AuthorityMembers of the tribes got others to do things