Oof. That is one view. There are others, that tend to note that society exists without state institutions - in fact, society is a necessary precondition to a state.

Some of these other views don't credit 'society' as something with a will or a reason, simply as an emergent property. That's not to say 'society' doesn't cause things to happen, but it does imply disagreement with the parent comment.

I absolutely agree that states are primarily instruments of suppression and coercion. I just think that equating state and society is not only incorrect, but also heads down a potentially dangerous path. Societies emerge from being social animals in proximity, states emerge from negotiations, coercion, or some combination thereof.

Are you sure that states don't emerge automatically too?

We are hierarchical creatures, even in a small group of friends hierarchy appears on its own. If you have a hierarchy the rest is just organizational details.

I never claimed they don't. My commentary was primarily about the importance of distinguishing the two.