ABSTRACT
The concept of society as an organism has a venerable history but it has been eclipsed during the last half-century by various forms of individualism – including the rational actor model in economics underpinning neoliberal policies that are spreading worldwide. While evolutionary theory took its own individualistic turn during the 1960s and 70s, subsequent developments provide a strong foundation for the organismic conception of human society, with profound implications for public policy at all scales. This chapter reviews how the organism may serve as a metaphor for society with special reference to Norway as a society that resembles the function of an organism at the national scale.
