Guide a society, containing these inner thoughts (5)
I believe the answer is:
ideas
'thoughts' is the definition.
('idea' can be a synonym of 'thought')
'guide a society containing these inner' is the wordplay.
'these inner' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (I've seen 'in' mean this).
'IDEAS' can be found hidden inside 'guide a society containing'.
(Other definitions for ideas that I've seen before include "Thoughts, perceptions" , "thinking" , "Brain waves" , "Thoughts, personal views" , "Thoughts, concepts" .)