This is another reflection from the English social advocacy project. The question seems to demand my own understanding of the functions of community, so I give one function which I think is only present in the human community and makes human beings different from the other creatures.
No man is an island. The necessity of collaborating with those who share some common features with an individual have been existing since the first living creature was formed. Deterring detriments and the potential of obtaining more resources are the basic rewards for the members of the community. Therefore, all living creatures outside the human beings should also benefit from their own communities. Though it seems plausible, it is easy to notice the big gap that is created due to one thing that is only present in human communities: culture. Hence, there ought to be additional features in human communities which contribute to the development of culture, which gradually arise the human position as the dominators on this planet.
Modern biology has attempted to explain the altruistic behavior with the ‘selfish gene’ theory. As altruism seems to contradict the notion of natural selection, the subject of evolution has been deduced to the genes. An individual is potrayed as the genes' survival machine and the behaviors the individual possesses are the genes' survival strategies. Community and altruism are developed concerning that the others share some similar genes with the individual. Hence, the innate motivation of altruistic behaviors is only the self-gratification of his own genes, though the actions taken are selfless at the individual level. The purpose of community is therefore to contribute to the upmost for the uttermost benefit.
However, the introduction of culture shows a new aspect the human intelligence evolves: the awareness of preserving ideas. Community serves as the media of accumulating the ideas about the world that each individual has. The ideas are kept and recounted throughout the generations. This concept is indeed started to fulfill physical survival, but it eventually transgresses to the point where human curiosity plays as the main factor. Human beings think not only to find better ways to survive, but also to discern the relationship between human and nature and among the human beings. It leads to the inventions of languages, systematized knowledge and tools which are not attained by the other species.
Therefore, the purpose of human community extends from mere genes survival to the intellectual means. Hence, despite the maximum contribution for maximum gain, belonging to a human community can also be defined as the process of preserving and improving ideas. No man can live for thousands years, but some ideas can if recorded properly and practically beneficial.
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