Societies are functions of their history and environment.
The NC claim that society can be defined as a collection of individuals is entirely wrong. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. As Willem says below, they constantly manipulate how we as individuals think and act. The latter surely - which reflects some society because ideas are promulgated by societies and absorbed by individuals through their upbringing and social connections.