Editing Social theory (section)

===Ancient===
[[Confucius]] (551–479 BCE) envisaged a just society that went beyond his contemporary society of the [[Warring States]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Macionis|first=John J.|author2=Plummer, Ken |year=2005|title=Sociology. A Global Introduction|publisher=Pearson Education|location=Harlow|edition=3rd|page=12|isbn=0-13-128746-X}}</ref> Later on, also in China, [[Mozi]] (''circa'' 470 – ''circa'' 390 BCE) recommended a more pragmatic sociology, but ethical at base.

In the West, [[Augustine of Hippo|Saint Augustine]] (354–430) was concerned exclusively with the idea of the ''just society''. St. Augustine describes late [[Ancient Rome|Ancient Roman]] society through a lens of hatred and contempt for what he saw as false [[deity|Gods]], and in reaction theorized [[City of God (book)|City of God]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}} [[Ancient Greek]] philosophers, including [[Aristotle]] (384–322 BC) and [[Plato]] (428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC), did not see a distinction between politics and society.  The concept of society did not come until  the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment period]].  The term, ''société'', was probably first used as key concept by [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau|Rousseau]] in discussion of social relations.<ref>{{cite book |author=Heilbron, Johan |title=The Rise of Social Theory |publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1995}}</ref> Prior to the enlightenment, social theory took largely [[narrative]] and [[Norm (sociology)|normative]] form. It was expressed as stories and fables, and it may be assumed the [[pre-Socratic]] philosophers and religious teachers were the precursors to social theory proper.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}