People
For other uses of this term, see (disambiguation).A
people is a group of individuals who belong to and function within a particular
society. In common usage, the term
people may be synonymous with
human, or otherwise may carry an exclusive meaning. In general, the word
people is a
collective noun used to define a specific group of humans. However, when used to refer to a group of humans possessing a common
ethnic, cultural or national unitary characteristic or identity, "people" is a singular noun, and as such takes an "s" in the plural; (example: "the English-speaking peoples of the world").
The concept of
personhood (who is a person within a society) is the fundamental component of any selective concept of people. A distinction is maintained in
philosophy and
law between the notions "human being", or "man", and "person". The former refers to the species, while the latter refers to a
rational agent (see, for example,
John Locke's
Essay concerning Human Understanding II 27 and
Immanuel Kant's
Introduction to the Metaphysic of Morals).
Central issues of interest to people are the understanding of the
human condition and the
meaning of life, and
survival.
Religion,
philosophy, and
science represent modes and aspects of inquiry which attempt to investigate and understand the nature, behaviour, and
purpose of people.
Sociology,
economics, and
politics represent modes by which people investigate how to maximize a collective survival strategy.
*
Population*
Population density*
List of countries by population*
Masses*
Nation*
PopulismVolk (German for "people")
* The Optimum Population Trust.
A reliable and intelligent source of population information.
