TheBookofGroups

ArnoldChang
RELS126001
arnoldchang2013@gmail.com

Introduction
Aproperstudyinanyfield,academicornot,demandsaproperdefinitionoftheword
group,aswellasitsinterdependencewithinthesubject.Inmathematics,agroupcanbebriefly
definedbyasetofelementstogetherwithanoperationthatcombinesanytwoofitselementsto
formathirdbelongingtothesetandsatisfyingthegroupaxioms,thelattertermthat,forthe
purposesofthisdiscussion,mayberegardedasconditions.Similarly,asocialgroupmaybe
definedasoneinwhichbelongingentitiesareboundedbytheirownsetofanalogousconditions.
Inthiscase,anentitywillbelongtoaparticulargroupifandonlyifitsinclusionbenefitsthe
groupsdefinedgoals,independentofthatoftheentity.Sizeisofnoconcern,andanentitymay
belongtoanynumberofgroups,solongaseachofthesegroupsgoalsdoesnotinterferewith
theothers.
Withthisinmind,aparticularsolutiontoaproblemthatpotentiallycompromisesthe
integrityofeachandeverysocialgroupoftheHomosapiensgroupmaybedeveloped.An
apocalypse,oratleasttheoracleofone,seemstobeanintegralthemeofhumansociety.The
postapocalypticfilm,ABookofEli,demonstratesthatthesolutiontothesocalledapocalypse
problemisforsocialgroupstobandtogether,almostasifentirelypredictedbythetextsof
everymajorworldreligion.AfurtherconditionwouldbethateachandeveryentityoftheHomo
sapiensgroupagreestosharesacommongoalandmorallysurrendertoothermembersof
society.Thesegroups,forthepurposeofargument,canbeclassifiedbysizeasthetrivialself,
thetribe,andthesociety.

TheSelf
Everyhumansocialgroup,atitscore,iscomposedofasetofselfs.Philosophically,the
selfcanbedefinedastheessentialqualitiesthatmakeanindividualdistinctfromallothers
(Gaynesford).Nevertheless,differencesinqualitiesseemtobringselfstogethertoforma
group,almostasifcompelledbyaforce.TheOldTestamentopenswithapassagefilledwith
lonely,depressingconnotations.BeforeGodcreatedtheheavensandtheearthwasaformless
voidanddarknesscoveredthefaceofthedeep(cf.Genesis1:12,NRSV).Theuseofthe
negatives,formlessvoid,anddarknesscanbeascribedtotheauthor(s)attemptatconveying
Godsloneliness.ShortlyaftercreatingAdam,Godsays,Itisnotgoodthatthemanshouldbe
alone;Iwillmakehimahelperashispartner(cf.Genesis1:18,NRSV),whichimpliesthat
evenGodbelievesthattheselfshouldneverremainalone,andinsteadformconnections,the
beginningofasocialgroup.
Inthefilm,TheBookofEli,theviewerispresentedwithadisturbingscene:alonelyman
namedEliistravelingaloneacrossadesert.Thetensionofunnaturallonelinessandofalackof
groupsformsthebasisofthefilmsplot,nottheapocalypticsetting.AlthoughElimaybevoid
ofanygroupsinitially,heovercomesagroupofbanditsatribe,asthisreportwillshortly
expoundonduetohisfirmbeliefandhopeintheKingJamesBible,whichhecarries.Because
theBiblecontainsthewordofGodasifoftensymbolizedassuchEliandtheBibleforma
socialgroup,andtogetherillustratethatthesolutiontotheapocalypseproblemliesinthe
existenceornotofmutualharmony.Inthefilm,trulysingularselfs,suchasallthetravelers
whowerecannibalizedbytheparanoidcoupleGeorgeandMartha,didnotsurvivethe

apocalypse.Infact,GeorgeandMarthathemselvesperished.Asportrayedinthefilm,thecouple
formsasingular.Inorderforaselftobedistinctfromanother,theremustbedistinguishing
qualitiesbetweenthetwo.ThefilmpurposefullydeniesGeorgeandMarthaofthisrightinorder
toillustratethelackofasocialgroup,andtherebylogicallyjustifytheirimprisonmentduringthe
apocalypse.

TheTribe
Atribe,ontheotherhand,canbedefinedasasetofdistinctselfsinalocalsocial
group.Thesesmallsetsofsocialgroupsmayormaynotfindsalvationfromtheapocalypse
problembytheirdegreeoftranscendenceofselfishneeds.Inasectionaptlytitled,Indian
MazeofDeitiesandRenewableEternity,RehilldescribesthehistoryoftheVedicreligionthat
wouldeventuallybecomeHinduism,providingsuchstatisticssuchas,morethan100smaller
settlementshavebeenunearthedinthevalley(Rehill,64)anddistinguishingthesetribal
religionsbythedifferencesintheirGodsandGoddesses.Indrawasthegodofwarand
vanquisherofthesun;Prajapatithegodofcreatures.ShivaandVishnuwereoriginallyminor
gods(64).Rehilladmitstotheoverwhelmingcontrastsandspecificationsofeachofthesetribal
religions,callingtheVedicritualsandpractices[]fartoocomplicated(65).Despitesuch
nitpickydetails,thecoreofHinduism,whichisthemixingpotofallthesetribalreligions,liesin
karma,reincarnation,andreleaseformthelifedeathcycle(65).Thefactthatthetribal
religionswereabletoconcuronsuchmoralsimplicitydemonstratesthedependenceofthe
solutiontotheapocalypseproblemonreleasefromthelifedeathcycleandembracingevery
aspectoflifeanddeathonthisplanet(65).

TheBookofElimakesanexactcaseforthesolution,albeitthroughtrialanderrorrather
thananeat,straightforwardguideline.Duringtherisingactionofthefilm,Eliispresentedwitha
conundrumwithaseeminglyobvioussolution.Agirlischainedupandscreamingforhelpand
noothersocialgroupsappeartobepresent.ShouldEliaddthegirltohissocialgroupby
selflesslyhelpingher?Asitturnsout,thisgirlispartofatribe;thoughsheisunwillingtobea
partofit,thesocialgroupofbanditsgoalistoincludehertouseasbait.Thistribelacksthe
mutualsupportofallitsmembersandthereforethereisaninherentinstabilitydueto
mismatchedtrust.Consequently,thestablesocialgroupconsistingofEliandtheBibleachieve
salvation,whereasthelocaltribedoesnot.Whetherornotsuchphysicalityisrealisticis
irrelevant;thedirectorsmessagetothevieweriscommunicatedbyexaggerationsandinstances
ofsymbolism.
Solaraispresentedwiththeexactconundruminthelatterhalfoftheplay;duetoher
physicalweakness,sheisunabletobreakfreefromthebandits.However,Eli,atthispoint,has
addedSolaratohissocialgroupandistherebyinclinedtofightthemoff.Itisclearthattheir
socialgrouphasgoalsthatalignwitheachoftheconstitutingmembers;stabilityispresent,
whereagainnoneexistinthesecondlocaltribeofbandits,whichsuccumbedtotheapocalypse.

TheSociety
Thetransitionbetweenatribeandasocietyoccursnaturallywhensocietally
beneficiallawsaredetermined.Thoughatfirstthoughtsuchadditionprovidesenormous
complexity,itbecomesmuchsimplerbydistinguishingsubgroupswithinasocietybasedoffof
observedbehaviorinrelativeaccordancewiththelaw.Justashowinaclassicapocalyptic

denouement,ChristcaststheBeastintoaLakeofFire[and]slaughterstheBeastsfollowers
(Hedgehog,65),socialgroupsdistinguishasetofmembersfrombelongingwhollytoasociety
bylabelingthemasatribeasubgroup,butonenownecessarilydistinct.Withthisinmind,itis
easytoseehowtribesmayfallpreytotheapocalypsewhilestillbelongingtoasociety.Inthe
Christianreligion,thelevelofsalvationfromtheapocalypsecanbeclassifiedintothreetribes:
thebanished,theindeterminate,andtheholy.Membershiptooneofthetribesdependsonhow
welltheindividualbehavedaccordingtotheTenCommandments,enumeratedbyMosesbut
arguablyordainedbyGod.Evenaslightlycursoryglanceatthesecommandmentsissufficientto
logicallydeducethattheChristianreligionisoneheavilybasedonmutualrespect,unconditional
love,acceptance,andundeniabletrust.Tobreaksuchconditionsistoforgothesolutiontothe
apocalypseproblem;toabideistoobtainsalvation.
Asociety,brokenthoughitmaybe,clearlyexistsinTheBookofEli.Carnegieattempts
tomaintainasocietybasednotoffofclergy,butratheroffofintimidationandcontrol.Thelaw
issimple:respecttheauthority,orbeexcludedandrelegateddirectlyfromsocietalmembership
tothesingularself,adangerousclassificationasexpoundedinthisreport.Carnegies
dictatorshiplikesociety,however,failstoconstitutememberswithalignedgoals;inparticular,
thereisavoidoftrustandunconditionalacceptance.Barfightsoccuroften,andCarnegies
selfishattemptsatobtainingstealing,rathertheHolyBiblearereflectedinthedirectors
clearportrayaloftheshiftynatureofthelocaltribeshehires.AlthoughCarnegiesucceedsin
obtainingthisHolyBible,theBibleisfundamentallyaphysicalobject;itisatthispointthatthe
metaphorthatlinkedEliintoasocialgroupfromtheverystartdisintegrates.Nomemberof
Carnegiessocietyachievessalvationfromtheapocalypseproblem.Carnegiespermanent

disability,thedozensofmenshotdownbyEli,thetruckthatwasblownupbyahandgrenade
thrownbySolara,andthebetrayalofCarnegiesveryowndaughterfromhimandby
extension,fromCarnegiehimselfallservetohighlighttheveryfundamentalflawinthe
establishmentofhissociety.

Conclusion
Socialgroupsarearguablymuchmorecomplexthantheyappeartobe.Athorough
analysisofthestructureofasocialgrouprequiresadditionalperspectivesthantheadmittedly
limitingpostapocalypticviewpoint.However,analysisoftheaforementioneddoesprovide
interestinginsights,andonesbackedbynotjustmodernfilms,butalsobytextsashistoricaland
impactfulastheBible,inadditiontoscholarlymaterialwrittenonthematerial.Thesolutionto
thesocalledapocalypticproblem,fromthestandpointofstructuresofsocialgroups,isthe
existenceofagroupwhosemembersshareacommongoalandfurthermoreabideinoneanother.

WorksCited
Gaynesford,M.deI:TheMeaningoftheFirstPersonTerm,Oxford,OxfordUniversityPress,
2006.

"New Revised Standard Version." oremus Bible Browser. 10 Feb 2011. Web. 18 Jan 2014.
<http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Genesis 1>

Hughes, Allen, dir. The Book of Eli. Dir. Albert Hughes. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2010. Film.
18 Jan 2014.

Rehill, Annie. The Apocalypse is Everywhere. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2009. 64-65. Print.

"Abrahamic Religions." Hedgehog Review. 10.1 (2008): 65. Print.