meaning of "the social"
Does "the social" here mean "the social concepts"?

Democracy and its corollary, public space, are brought into existence, then, when the idea that the social is founded on a
substantial basis, a positivity, is abandoned. [. . .] This abandonment also means that society is “impossible” – which is to say,
that the conception of society as a closed entity is impossible. For without an underlying positivity, the social field is structured by relationships among elements that themselves have no essential identities.

Question

meaning of "the social"
Does "the social" here mean "the social concepts"?

Democracy and its corollary, public space, are brought into existence, then, when the idea that the social is founded on a
substantial basis, a positivity, is abandoned. [. . .] This abandonment also means that society is “impossible” – which is to say,
that the conception of society as a closed entity is impossible. For without an underlying positivity, the social field is structured by relationships among elements that themselves have no essential identities.

Answer

I think it refers to the social sphere of a particular community. In this instance the author talks about a democratic society and then continues to interrogate the concept of "the social" within the frame work of democratic principles as we know it. Society is ever changing. Even if we ask what makes the current democratic society a specific social group with certain ideals? We cannot always isolate these structures and relationships to fully state that this is what a democratic society is made up of. I  also think an important part to understanding this text is to understand what is meant by "positivity" too.

Answer

The problem with this text is that it is jargon - it is not intended for everyone to understand.

I think it means the social world, as a contrast with the personal world.  A similar contrast would be "the private and the public" or "the personal and the impersonal" .   They are abbreviations for quite complex ideas.  We could say "The social [world] involves meeting people, exchanging ideas etc".  The personal [world] involves thinking, feeling etc."  But the writer assumes that the reader knows these concepts so just says "The social"

It is like 'artspeak' - the language that artists use to try to describe their work.  It does not mean much to anyone except artists.

Answers · 2

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