Types of Groups

I divide groups into formal and substantial groups.

Equivalently: into real groups and pseudo-groups.

People enter substantial groups consciously, pass through a confirmation procedure, and demonstrate certain behavior.

If they fail to demonstrate the required behavior, or demonstrate behavior that is not allowed, they may be excluded from the group.

There are special members of the group whose role is to watch over this.

Formal groups are different. Researchers enroll us in them without our consent, according to formal features.

For example: “all inhabitants of London in the year 1900” or “all children on Earth who turned six in 2020”.

Professional Groups

Professional groups, both formal and substantial, consist of people involved in a certain profession.

The profession leaves its mark on them: certain abilities must be demonstrated all the time.

Thus a noble officer must demonstrate courage, a priest must demonstrate piety, that is, obedience to rules, a merchant must demonstrate readiness for risk, and a politician must demonstrate the ability to publicly defend his position coherently and persuasively.

Estates grow out of such professional groups: nobility, clergy, bourgeoisie, peasantry.

The Level of a Group

The level of a substantial group is the level that its members are obliged to demonstrate.

If there are several such levels, the highest one is taken.

The level of a formal group is determined differently.

We take the activity launched by the members of the group over a certain period.

The atypical 5% of members are discarded.

The remaining activities form, in terms of level, a Gaussian hat.

The middle of this hat is the standard of the pseudo-group.

Humanity

Humanity must be considered separately.

It consists of language communities, countries, states, estates, professional groups, and other groups.

Humanity may have several competing standards at the same time.

Which one should be chosen?

Let us divide all people according to their favorite standard.

The standard chosen by the majority is the standard of the epoch.