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Superstructure



 
 
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied both to physical structures like buildings, bridges or ships and to conceptual structures as well (e.g., in social sciences
Social sciences

The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including anthropology, communication studies, economics, human geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology....
). The word superstructure is a combination of super (Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for above, in addition) with the word structure (also from Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, meaning to build or to heap up).

Ships As stated above, superstructure is material which projects above the main deck.






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A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied both to physical structures like buildings, bridges or ships and to conceptual structures as well (e.g., in social sciences
Social sciences

The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including anthropology, communication studies, economics, human geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology....
). The word superstructure is a combination of super (Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for above, in addition) with the word structure (also from Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, meaning to build or to heap up).

Engineering
Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....


In order to improve seismic performance
Seismic performance

Earthquake or seismic performance is an execution of a building's or structure's ability to sustain their due functions, such as its safety and serviceability, at and after a particular earthquake exposure....
 of buildings and bridges, a superstructure may be separated from its basement or footing, called here a substructure, with a system of earthquake protective devices called base isolation
Base isolation

Base isolation, also known as seismic or base isolation system, is a collection of structural elements which should substantially decouple a superstructure from its substructure resting on a shaking ground thus protecting a building or non-building structure's integrity....
.

Ships

As stated above, superstructure is material which projects above the main deck. However, the term superstructure should be used carefully, as this only applies to structure which stretches for the full breadth of the vessel; otherwise the structure is known as a deck house. Superstructure can have many implications on ships, as it can greatly alter its structural rigidity and a vessel’s displacement, which can be detrimental to a ship’s performance if considered incorrectly. The superstructure on a vessel also affects the amount of freeboard
Freeboard

Freeboard or FREEBOARD may refer to: * Sporting Goods. The six-wheeled skateboard which acts like a snowboard .* Nautical....
 that a vessel requires. Very broadly, the more superstructure a ship has (as a fraction of length), the less freeboard
Freeboard

Freeboard or FREEBOARD may refer to: * Sporting Goods. The six-wheeled skateboard which acts like a snowboard .* Nautical....
 is needed.

Mathematics
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....

In mathematical logic
Mathematical logic

Mathematical logic is a subfield of mathematics and logic with close connections to computer science and philosophical logic. The field includes the mathematical study of logic and the applications of formal logic to other areas of mathematics....
, if a structure
Structure (mathematical logic)

In universal algebra and in model theory, a structure consists of an underlying Set along with a collection of finitary functions and relations which are defined on it....
 A is a substructure
Substructure

In universal algebra, an substructure or subalgebra is a structure whose domain is a subset of that of a bigger structure, and whose functions and relations are the traces of the functions and relations of the bigger structure....
 of a structure B, then B is sometimes called an extension or superstructure of A.

Social sciences

In social sciences
Social sciences

The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including anthropology, communication studies, economics, human geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology....
, superstructure is the set of socio-psychological feedback loop
Positive feedback

Positive feedback, sometimes referred to as "cumulative causation", is a feedback loop system in which the system responds to Perturbation of biological system in the same direction as the perturbation....
s that maintain a coherent and meaningful structure
Structure

Structure is a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature , and stability of patterns and relationships of entities....
 in a given society
Society

A society is a group of humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture and/or institutions....
, or part thereof. It can include the culture
Culture

Culture is difficult to define. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions....
, institutions, power structures, role
Role

A role or a social role is a set of connected behaviors, rights and obligations as conceptualized by actors in a social situation. It is an expected behavior in a given individual social status and social position....
s, and ritual
Ritual

A ritual is a set of repeated actions, often thought to have symbolic value, the performance of which is usually prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community by religious or political laws because of the perceived efficacy of those actions....
s of the society. It is that which, through conditioned
Classical conditioning

Classical Conditioning is a form of associative learning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov . The typical procedure for inducing classical conditioning involves presentations of a neutral stimulus along with a stimulus of some significance....
 behavior
Behavior

Behavior or behaviour refers to the action s or reactions of an object or organism, usually in Relational theory to the environment. Behavior can be conscious or Unconscious mind, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary....
s (both interpersonal and situational), enforces a set of constraints and guidelines on human activity in a stable and effective fashion, such that it engenders a society's characteristic organization, and it is that characteristic organization itself.

By most sociological schema, superstructure does not refer to the specific materials of an organization, such as a school or a store, but rather to the set of psychological
Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
 or semantic configurations whereby that structure is rationalized and reproduced in human experience. That is, it is the "invisible force" behind or within the structure, or perhaps, it is the anthropocentric "reason" for the structure.

According to one sociological perspective, superstructure may be revealed by examining the direct interpersonal engagements that take place within canonical (typical) settings or situations, through the hermeneutic of sociobiology
Sociobiology

Sociobiology is a Neo-Darwinism synthesis of scientific disciplines that attempts to explain social behavior in all species by considering the evolutionary advantages the behaviors may have....
.

Marxist concept


Within Marxist social theory, superstructure is the particular form through which human subjectivity engages with the material substance of society.

See also

  • ship
    Ship

    A ship is a large watercraft that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the ferry or cargo ships, fishing, cruise ship, Coast guard, and warship....
  • freeboard
    Freeboard

    Freeboard or FREEBOARD may refer to: * Sporting Goods. The six-wheeled skateboard which acts like a snowboard .* Nautical....
  • infrastructure
    Infrastructure

    Infrastructure can be defined as the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise , or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function....
  • sociology
    Sociology

    Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
  • structuralism
    Structuralism

    Structuralism is an approach to the human sciences that attempts to analyze a specific field as a complex system of interrelated parts. It began in linguistics with the work of Ferdinand de Saussure....
     and post-structuralism
    Post-structuralism

    Post-structuralism encompasses the intellectual developments of continental philosophy and critical theory who wrote with tendencies of French philosophy#20th century....
  • Michel Foucault
    Michel Foucault

    Michel Foucault was a French philosophy, historian, intellectual, Critical theory and sociologist. He held a chair at the Coll?ge de France with the title "History of Systems of Thought," and also taught at the University of California, Berkeley....
  • Franz Jakubowski
    Franz Jakubowski

    Franz Jakubowski was a Marxist theory. Born in Poland, he grew up in what was then the 'free city' of Gdansk. His father was a doctor. From 1930 to 1933 he studied law in Heidelberg, Berlin, Munich and Breslau, before completing his studies in political science at Basel University....
  • Gerald Cohen
    Gerald Cohen

    Gerald Allan "Jerry" Cohen is a marxist political philosopher, presently the Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory, All Souls College, Oxford....