Is 社会 【しゃかい】 interchangeable with 世間 【せけん】?  
  
from Jim Breen:  

> 社会 【しゃかい】 society; public; community; the world  
>  世間 【せけん】 world; society; people; the public  
>

Here is an example sentence from Jim Breen:  

> 紛争のない人間社会はありえない。  
>  There can be no human society without conflict.  
>

Here is the quote from Osamu Dazai's _No Longer Human_ that made me wonder:  

> 「世間というのは、君じゃないか」  
>  ‘It’s not society. It’s you, isn’t it?’  
>
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2018-11-02T16:00:05.127
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2018-11-03T02:14:28.423
2018-11-03T02:14:28.423
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question
meaning word-choice
社会 【しゃかい】 and 世間 【せけん】 -- what is the difference?
It's a bit of a subtle distinction, but I'd say the difference between the two
is largely one of scale.

社会 is the closer of the two in meaning to the English word "society", most
commonly referring to a community on the macro level, as a large complex unit.
It feels more objective or scientific than 世間, so you're much more likely to
see it in technical terms like 社会学 "sociology" and so forth.

世間, on the other hand, refers to "society" on a more personal level, as the
web of interactions between yourself and all the people around you. It calls
to mind the judging gazes of strangers who see your behaviour in public, but
also your own extended network of friends, family, colleagues and
acquaintances.
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2018-11-02T17:36:14.270
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answer