Finnes det et samfunn?

Is there such a thing as "society"? This article revisits Margaret Thatcher's famous (or infamous) remark that there is no such thing as "society", and throws light on philosophical aspects of the debate about the rights and roles of society by going back to the debate on universals, well known from the Middle Ages. How much unity and how much conflict should there be in a healthy society? The article suggests a philosophical middle ground.