In an acute systemic society when accumulated. What is the multivariance of social development? What are the types of societies
Social Studies Unified State Examination, session 7
Lesson 7. Social progress. Multivariance community development. Global problems
Society is an evolving system
social change- any changes that occur over time in social communities, institutions, organizations.
social development- social changes, directed either towards improvement or towards degradation.
Progress is relative: there are areas public life, to which this concept is difficult to attribute.
Progress is controversial: achievements in one area can turn into problems in another.
Progress criteria:
development of productive forces;
development of science and technology;
development of the human mind;
improvement of people's morality;
an increase in the degree of freedom that society can provide to a person.
Social Progress- development from the lowest to the highest, from simple to complex, from less perfect to more perfect (from lat. - forward movement).
public regression- development from higher to lower, degradation, loss of the ability to perform certain functions (from lat. - reverse movement).
Stagnation- stagnation, a temporary stop in development.
Some thinkers speak of cyclicity in the development of society - the theory of historical circulation. Spengler.
Ways of development of society
Evolution(from Latin - “deployment”) - partial, gradual changes that contribute to the emergence of new qualities and properties in various spheres of society.
Reform- any degree of improvement in a certain area of public life, not affecting the fundamental foundations social order.
Reforms can be progressive or regressive.
They can occur spontaneously and in an organized manner.
The revolution- a radical, qualitative change in all or most aspects of social life, which lead to a change in the foundation of the existing social order.
Modernization- updating something; the process of transition from a traditional society to a modern, industrial one.
Multivariate development of society
Classification of types of society (according to different criteria)
According to the method of information transfer: preliterate and written societies. Now the screen culture society is developing.
According to the degree of differentiation of society (the degree of social heterogeneity): simple and complex.
According to the degree of openness (level of social mobility): closed and open.
By level of development: developed, developing, backward.
Formational approach: primitive, slaveholding, feudal, capitalist, communist - Marxism.
In terms of technical and technological development societies: traditional, industrial, post-industrial.
Traditional (agrarian) society:
the main factor of production is land;
the main branch of production (in terms of employment) - Agriculture;
nature of production - manual labor, individual production;
social structure - class, corporate structure of society prevails, low social mobility;
impact on nature - local, uncontrolled;
international connections are insignificant;
political life - mainly monarchical power, there are no political freedoms, power is above the law;
spiritual life - traditional religious values, homogeneous nature of culture, poorly educated people.
industrial society
the main factor of production is capital;
the main branch of production (in terms of employment) is industry;
the nature of production - mechanization, mass standardized production;
social structure - class division (based on attitude to property), simplification social structure, its mobility and openness, the idea of individual freedom;
the impact on nature is global, uncontrollable;
international relations - close relationship;
political life - the proclamation of political freedoms, the rule of law, democratic reforms;
spiritual life - a scientific picture of the world, the values of progress and personal success, mass culture, general education, training of specialists.
Post-industrial (information) society
the main factor of production is knowledge, information;
the main branch of production (in terms of employment) is the service sector;
the nature of production - automation, computerization of production, a sharp increase in creativity in labor;
social structure - the growth of the middle class, the basis of social differentiation - the level of knowledge, profession, skill level;
impact on nature - global, controlled;
international relations - openness of society, globalization;
political life - political pluralism, development civil society, "consensus democracy";
spiritual life - a special role of science and education ( continuing education), information revolution, development of individualized consciousness.
Approaches to the study of the development of society
Linear : the development of society is considered as a process of transition from one stage of development to another, from lower levels to higher ones. Allocate general patterns in the development of different societies.
Technological, stadial, formational
Nonlinear (local-civilizational) - each civilization is unique, develops in its own way, only inherent in it. All civilizations go through stages of origin, development, flourishing and extinction.
Stage approach to explain the move historical development(Rostow): the basis of the unity of the historical development of the world - the level scientific and technological development and welfare of society.
traditional society- slow development, the predominance of the agricultural sector, low level labor productivity
« transitional society"- transition to a capitalist society
"shift period"- industrial revolutions, the beginning of industrialization
"period of maturity"- industrialization ends, highly developed countries appear
"an era of high levels of mass consumption"- the most advanced modern countries
Formative approach
Method of production, economic sphere - basis society; political, social, spiritual sphere - superstructure .
The basis determines the superstructure, but the superstructure can influence the basis.
Primitive communal: based on public (communal) ownership of the means of production, characterized by social equality, egalitarian distribution.
Slave-owning: private property or private-state property, the main producers - slaves - an object of property, non-economic coercion to work.
Feudal: private or private-state property, producers - in personal dependence on landowners, non-economic coercion to work.
Capitalist: private property, market relations, hired labor.
Communist: public ownership of the means of production, high level development of productive forces, the principle of distribution "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."
Suggested by Karl Marx.
Formation - the historical type of socio-economic development of society on the basis of a certain method of production of material goods.
He singled out 5 formations: primitive communal (primary), slave-owning, feudal, capitalist (unified these three formations into economic), communist.
The change in socio-economic formations occurs as a result of the discrepancy between production relations and the level of development of the productive forces.
Local-civilizational approach
A. Toynbee, O. Spengler, N. Danilevsky, P. Sorokin, L. Gumilyov and others.
Civilization - a stable cultural and historical community of people united by spiritual traditions, a similar way of life, geographical and historical boundaries.
The difference between civilizations is based on the originality of spiritual culture, primarily religion.
Globalization
Globalization- the process of integration (cooperation, interaction) of all countries and peoples in different fields of activity; increasing mutual influence and interdependence of countries and peoples.
Causes:
transfer from industrial society to information, development of high technologies;
economic decentralization;
development of the world economy;
emergence of new communication technologies.
Manifestations
activities of TNCs;
financial markets;
economic integration within individual regions;
activities of international economic and financial organizations;
openness of the world in the sphere of culture, information, personal contacts.
Effects
free movement of goods and capital (the ability to sell and produce where it is most profitable);
reducing production costs, increasing profits;
the opportunity to use the fruits of scientific and technological revolution in countries where it is not possible to conduct their own scientific research;
convergence of interests different states, the desire for mutual consideration of interests in international relations;
development of socio-cultural unity - contributes to the understanding and rejection of xenophobia.
growing gap in the level of development and well-being of the population of developed and developing countries(problem of North and South);
the desire of highly developed countries for leadership leads to an explosion of nationalism in developing countries;
obstacles to the development of domestic production;
loss of the specifics of national cultures;
imposition of a single standard of consumption.
positive:
negative:
Global problems of our time
Specificity:
universal: common to all mankind;
the fate of mankind depends on their decision;
can only be solved by joint efforts;
Causes:
in the context of globalization, local problems acquire a global character;
the active transforming activity of people is not accompanied by an adequate growth of the ecological consciousness of society and man, the responsibility of political structures.
Problem Groups
the problem of preventing war;
the North-South problem;
social contradictions within individual countries.
environmental pollution;
energy, raw materials, food;
exploration of the World Ocean, space.
demographic;
educational;
the problem of overcoming the negative consequences of scientific and technological revolution;
human health problem.
Between communities of people (intersocial):
Between society and nature:
Between the individual and society:
Directions for problem solving:
the formation of a new planetary consciousness;
study of the causes of occurrence and exacerbation;
joint action to solve problems.
Perspective resolution:
environmental pessimism (the concept of zero growth);
technological optimism ("affluent society").
social processes in modern Russia
social processes - social phenomena that change the relationship between people or between the constituent elements of the community; socially significant changes in society; change in the state of society or its systems.
change in the nature of social stratification
quite a large entrepreneurial stratum has developed
emergence of new prestigious activities
social polarization
rapid growth of socio-territorial differences
marginalization of society
formation of the middle class
Problem solving
Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and branches of culture: for each position given in the first column, select the corresponding position from the second column.
Find the characteristic features of art in the list below. Write down the numbers under which they are indicated.
1) setting the boundaries of individual freedom
2) building a system of evidence
3) a form of knowledge of the world
4) figurative reflection of reality
5) emotional impact
6) logical harmony
Select the signs that reflect the specifics of the moral regulation of behavior.
1) have a specific character
2) based on the performance due
3) regulate the most significant areas of public life
4) have a generalized character
5) there are special bodies that control their implementation
Below is a list of terms. All of them, with the exception of two, can be used to characterize the concept of "social regression".
1) movement; 2) change; 3) the transition from less perfect to more perfect; 4) development success; 5) decline; 6) degradation.
Find two terms that "fall out" of the general series, and write down the numbers under which they are indicated.
Country Z is dominated by subsistence farming. What other signs of the above indicate that country Z is developing as a traditional society? Write down the numbers under which they are indicated.
1) Oral information prevails over written information.
2) There is a rapid growth of the urban population.
3) Extensive technologies and hand tools prevail.
4) The main social units are the community and the family.
5) Scientific knowledge is widely disseminated.
6) The infrastructure is developing intensively.
In country Z, there is a widespread introduction of computer technology in various areas life. What other signs of the above indicate that country Z is developing as a post-industrial society? Write down the numbers under which they are indicated.
1) A significant part of employees are switching to remote work.
2) For regulatory purposes social relations legal acts are issued.
3) Extensive farming methods prevail.
4) Natural factors influence the development of society.
5) Information technology is the most important factor of production.
6) Science-intensive, resource-saving branches of production receive the greatest development.
Establish a correspondence between the distinctive features and types of societies: for each position given in the first column, select the corresponding position from the second column.
Write in the table the selected numbers under the corresponding letters.
Practice solving problems in part 2
Tasks 21–24
Read the text and do the tasks.
scientific theory social progress needs not subjective criteria reflecting the inability of thinkers to understand the complex nature of social development, but in an objective criterion that does not depend on the arbitrariness of researchers.
The difficulty of identifying the criterion of social progress is due, in particular, to the fact that society is a complex system that includes a huge number of elements and processes. These various components are also evolving, so the concept of progress must also be applied to them. If we consider society as a system, then its various components are subsystems, each of which is capable of progressive development and has its own development criterion ... but none of them can give an idea of the progress of society as a whole.
The development of society as a system does not mean at all that all its subsystems develop in the same way. The development of various aspects of social life is very often uneven. Moreover, progress in some areas is occurring against the backdrop of regression in others. For example, such a form of social consciousness as art does not necessarily flourish during the period of rapid development of the productive forces...
With all the complexity and internal inconsistency of social progress, the question of its criteria is not only not removed, but, on the contrary, acquires special importance. At the same time, any criterion taken from the field of public consciousness (morality, law, etc.) cannot be the only general historical criterion, since people's views themselves change under the influence of the conditions of social life ... Also, criteria related to economic categories alone cannot allow us to correctly understand the nature and essence of social progress.
To overcome the one-sidedness of these criteria, it is necessary to indicate such a fundamental philosophical category that characterizes the deep essence of human life and activity. Such a category, in our opinion, is the category of freedom.
(G.I. Erzin)
21. As the main general criterion of social progress, the author proposes the category of freedom. Do you agree with this? Express your opinion and, using the content of the text and social science knowledge, give two arguments in support of it.
22. The author writes that any criterion taken from the field of public consciousness cannot be the only general historical criterion. What explains this? Based on social science knowledge, give two of your own examples illustrating this conclusion.
Task 27
In country Z, the majority of the able-bodied population is employed in science-intensive production and the service sector, the share of the middle class is growing, and digital means of communication are developing. Name the type of society that has been established in country Z. In what direction is the nature of man's relationship to nature changing in this type of society? What is the main factor of production in this type of society? How do the requirements for a worker change in society? of this type?
Task 29
Expand the meaning of the statement in the form of a mini-essay, indicating, if necessary, different aspects of the problem posed by the author (the topic covered). When presenting your thoughts on the problem raised (designated topic), when arguing your point of view, use the knowledge gained in the study of the social science course, the relevant concepts, as well as the facts of social life and your own life experience. (Give at least two examples from various sources as evidence.)
“The joint harmonious development of Nature and Society is the central problem modern life. And the development of a joint strategy of mankind, aimed at ensuring this harmony, will have to take the most important place in the collective efforts of all countries of the globe.
In modern sociology, social development is associated with the process of modernization. On the present stage development of social sciences, there are three original concepts of social development: formational, the theory of local civilizations and modernization (the theory of types of societies or the theory of modernization).
Theories of the formational development of society
According to the first concept theory of formational development of society , the author of which was Karl Marx, the meaning of the development of society lies in the development of productive forces, which is determined by the formation of production relations corresponding to them, but which develop into new, more progressive production relations; they find themselves in conflict with the existing relations of production, replace them and determine the change in the social formation and the new development of the productive forces.
Economic formations follow each other: primitive communal - slaveholding and feudal - capitalist - communist. The transition from one formation to another takes place through a social revolution. In the structure of each formation, an economic basis and a superstructure were distinguished. Basis (otherwise it was called production relations) - a set of social relations that develop between people in the process of production, distribution, exchange and consumption of material goods (the main among them are the ownership of the means of production). The superstructure was understood as a set of political, legal, ideological, religious, cultural and other views, institutions and relations not covered by the base.
Theory of local civilizations
The second concept of social development is theory of local civilizations . It is assumed that the history of mankind, like the world ocean, absorbs rivers of "stories" of local societies. The authors cyclic theories stories prove that there is no internal unity in history, that “humanity” is an abstraction, an abstract concept, but in reality there are only separate peoples, and each has its own life cycle independent of the rest and its own direction of development.
Along with the concept of "civilization", supporters of the civilizational approach widely use the concept of "cultural-historical types", which are understood as historically established communities that occupy a certain territory and have their own, characteristic only for them, features of cultural and social development. The civilizational approach has, according to modern social scientists, a number of strengths. First, its principles are applicable to the history of any country or group of countries.
This approach is focused on the knowledge of the history of society, taking into account the specifics of countries and regions. True, the reverse side of this universality is the loss of criteria for which features of this specificity are more significant and which are less. Secondly, emphasizing the specifics necessarily implies the idea of history as a multi-linear, multi-variant process. But awareness of this multivariance does not always help, and often even makes it difficult to understand which of these options is better and which are worse (after all, all civilizations are considered equal). Thirdly, the civilizational approach assigns a priority role in historical process human spiritual, moral and intellectual factors. However, emphasizing the importance of religion, culture, mentality for the characterization and evaluation of civilization often leads to abstraction from material production as something secondary. The main weakness of the civilizational approach lies in the amorphousness of the criteria for distinguishing types of civilization.
Theory of civilizations (modernization)
The third concept most in demand today is modernization (the theory of types of societies) - according to this theory (it is based on the ideas of O. Toffler, D. Bell and other institutionalist economists), the development of society is seen as a change of three socio-economic systems - pre-industrial society, industrial society and post-industrial society. Most researchers believe that the decisive role here is played by:
- the attitude of people to nature (and the natural environment modified by man);
- the attitude of people to each other (type of social connection);
- system of values and life meanings (a generalized expression of these relations in the spiritual life of society).
traditional society
Traditional society (from 4-3 thousand BC) - civilizations of the Ancient East (Ancient India and Ancient China, Ancient Egypt and medieval states of the Muslim East), the European states of the Middle Ages, the states of Africa. The basis of human life is labor, in the process of which a person transforms the substance and energy of nature into objects of his own consumption. His labor activity was subject to the eternal rhythms of nature (seasonal change of weather, length daylight hours) - this is the requirement of life itself on the verge of natural and social. In relations between people there was a personal dependence, which gives rise to non-economic coercion to work based on personal power based on direct violence.
Traditional society has formed high moral qualities: collectivism, mutual assistance and social responsibility. A person in a traditional society did not feel like a person opposing or competing with others. The social status of a person in a traditional society was determined not by personal merit, but by social origin. Everyday life governed not so much by law as tradition - vault unwritten rules, patterns of activity, behavior and communication, embodying the experience of ancestors.
Subordination to tradition explains the high stability of traditional societies with their stagnant-patriarchal cycle of life and extremely slow pace of social development. The public authority of the earthly ruler was also fed by religious ideas about the divine origin of his power (“The Sovereign is God's viceroy on earth”). The personification of political and spiritual power in one person (theocracy) ensured the dual subordination of a person to both the state and the church, which made traditional society even more stable.
Traditional societies were organized around "interaction with nature". Economically, they were all agrarian societies, societies with a dominant primary sector of the economy. In addition, all these completely different societies were united by adherence to traditions in the socio-cultural sphere (the inertia of accepted cultural patterns, the stability of customs, the predominance of prescribed patterns of behavior); the presence of a relatively simple division of labor that tends to be fixed in class or caste hierarchies; low level of urbanization and literacy of the population, etc.
AT modern world there are countries that actually preserve the traditional way of life. In particular, in a number of countries of the so-called third world (primarily in Tropical Africa, some Asian countries), agriculture remains the main sector of the economy (the vast majority of the population is employed in it). The close connection of a person with the primary collective - clan, caste, religious community, inherent in traditional society, is preserved. At the same time, the peoples and countries that have preserved the traditional way of life to this day differ significantly from the societies of the distant past. One way or another, they integrate into world economy, more and more borrowings from abroad penetrate into the life and culture of these peoples. At the same time, in many industrialized countries today, kinship, tribal ties, compatriots, ethnic or religious community, characteristic of pre-industrial society, retain their importance.
industrial society
industrial society - was formed initially in Western Europe: profound changes in the economic, political and cultural life of the late Middle Ages - the Reformation and the Enlightenment. An industrial society is an urbanized society, the flourishing of large cities. The rapid development of industrial society is due not only to the expansion of the sphere of human life, the emergence industrial production, but also a restructuring of its very foundations, a radical change in traditionalist values and life meanings. If in a traditional society any innovations were disguised as tradition, then an industrial society proclaims the value of the new, not fettered by the regulating tradition. This contributed to the development of social productive forces unprecedented in history.
Industrial society is characterized by the rapid development of technology based on the introduction scientific ideas into social production. The emergence of large industrial enterprises equipped with sophisticated technology formed a social demand for a competent worker, and therefore contributed to the development of a mass education system. Network development railways not only significantly increased economic and cultural exchange. The impact of technology on all aspects of the life of an industrial society is so great that it is often called technogenic civilization.
Science becomes not only critical area spiritual culture, but also a direct productive force. Technical progress contributed to the rise of the productive forces of society and an unprecedented improvement in the quality human life. The development of commodity production not only led to the saturation of the market with essential products, but also created new needs unknown to traditional society (synthetic medicines, computers, modern means of communication and transport, etc.). The quality of housing, food and medical care has noticeably improved, and the average life expectancy has increased. The powerful development of technology has noticeably changed not only the objective environment of human habitation, but also his entire daily life.
Technological progress has given rise to profound changes in the cultural meanings of nature, society and man himself, introduced new values and life meanings into the public consciousness. The traditionalist idea of life-giving nature in the public consciousness of an industrial society is replaced by the idea of an ordered "system of nature" governed by natural laws.
Unlike a traditional society, in an industrial society the dominant type of social connection is based not on extra-economic, but on economic coercion to work. Capitalist wage labor is characterized by a social partnership of two legally equal parties: an entrepreneur who owns the means of production (premises, equipment, raw materials), and an employee who has only his own labor force (physical ability to work, production skills, education). Unlike the owner of the means of production, the hired worker, yesterday's peasant driven from the land by need, has no means of subsistence. Cancellation of personal dependence and transition to social contract on the basis of a legal contract - a noticeable step forward in the assertion of human rights, the formation of civil society.
The rupture of relations of personal dependence and clan and tribal affiliation creates conditions for social mobility, i.e., the ability of a person to move from one social group (class) to another. An industrial society gives a person one of the highest civilizational values - personal freedom. A free man becomes the master of his own destiny. Intermediaries in relations between people in an industrial society are social institutions, and above all the state represented by law enforcement agencies, courts, prosecutors, as well as institutions of socialization (schools, universities, etc.) and employment of the individual (state enterprises).
Institutionally mediated social ties give rise to the attitude of people towards each other as carriers social role(judge, boss, teacher, doctor, shop assistant, bus driver, etc.). And each person plays not one, but many social roles acting as both an actor and an author own life. The period of industrialization is characterized by mass migration of the rural population to cities that can provide a higher standard of living. The development of legal consciousness and legal institutions that equalize the strong and the weak, the noble and the rootless, the rich and the poor in the face of the law, that is, the formation rule of law, not only an essential condition for the development of industrial capitalism, but also the most important civilizational achievement of mankind.
Post-industrial (modern) society.
post-industrial society is an innovative society, the economy of which is dominated by a sector of the economy with a highly productive industry, the knowledge industry. This is a society with a high share of high-quality and innovative services in GDP, with competition in all types of economic and other activities. The share of the employed population prevails in the service sector.
The emergence of the prerequisites for a post-industrial society, which emerged at the end of the last century in a number of industrialized countries, means a significant change in the civilizational priorities of social development, a restructuring of the civilizational foundations of technogenic civilization. The preservation of unique natural and cultural landscapes is more important for humanity than their industrial development. Preference is given to resource- and energy-saving technologies, as well as science-intensive technologies molecular level. The public consciousness of the post-industrial society has come to the realization of the need for a reasonable restriction of consumption (food, fuel, etc.).
In industrialized countries, the demand for small has spawned an entire industry of small molds, from tiny ornamental plants and pets to small cars. A person in a post-industrial society is aware of the highest value of nature as the universal home of all mankind. Therefore, further strategies of civilizational development are aimed not at the conquest of nature, the remake of society and the creation of a new person, but at the joint harmonious development of nature and culture. Describing the economic system of a post-industrial society, proponents of the theories of post-industrialism, as a rule, single out the following characteristic features: information technologies; the transformation of the production of knowledge into an independent branch of the economy (in this regard, later theories (late 70s - 80s) began to be called theories of the information society).
Knowledge and information, as well as interactive communications, are credited with the role of the main factor of social and political changes in modern Western society. Information technology brings qualitative changes. They allow for real decentralization, which leads to the emergence of a number of small and flexible firms and organizational associations with a flexible structure. Decentralization and de-urbanization of production, a change in the nature of labor make it possible to return to domestic work ("home industry") on the basis of modern electronic engineering and information technology. There is an individualization of goods and services. Mass production is being replaced by flexible small-scale production, which requires a highly skilled workforce and significant research costs. The possibilities of vertical and especially horizontal mobility of individuals are incredibly increasing - the development of communications and the increase in well-being make it possible to freely change their place of residence. In the social structure of society, these changes lead to the disappearance, blurring of the boundaries of social classes due to universal access to the main resource of a post-industrial society - knowledge.
Property as a criterion of social stratification of society is losing its former importance, giving way to the level of education, accumulated knowledge. In the political sphere, the final establishment of pluralistic democracy is taking place with an increase in the efficiency of the work of state institutions and structures. At the same time, the formation of the information society is accompanied by an aggravation of a number of contradictions. In particular, the information society is often figuratively referred to as a "spiritual whirlpool", characterized by the loss of consent, the inability to come to a single standard of behavior, common rules, language, etc. Mosaic value orientations generates a sharp increase in the number of subcultures, which can increase the risk of social conflicts. However, it is the development of the information sector of the economy and the rapid progress of information and communication technologies that have opened up additional opportunities for the development of globalization processes.
In a post-industrial society, an efficient innovative industry satisfies the needs of all economic agents, consumers and the population, gradually reducing its growth rate and increasing qualitative, innovative changes.
Scientific developments become the main driving force economy - the base of the knowledge industry. The most valuable qualities are the level of education, professionalism and competence, learning ability and creativity of any subject of economic activity. The main intensive factor in the development of post-industrial society is human capital - highly professional people who have a fairly high level of education, who advance science and knowledge as its result in all types of social activities.
| comparison line | Traditional | Industrial | informational |
| Time of occurrence | The transition from primitive to the first civilizations (4 thousand BC) | Transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age (16th century) | Transition to modernity (60-70s of the twentieth century) |
| Transition method | neolithic revolution | Industrial Revolution | scientific and technological revolution |
| Main factor of production | Earth | Capital | Information (knowledge) |
| Main production product | Food | industrial products | Services |
| Characteristic features of production | Manual labor | Wide application of mechanisms, technologies | Automation of production, computerization of society |
| Employment | Agricultural — more than 75% | Agriculture - about 10%, industry - 85% | Agriculture - up to 3%, industry - 33% services - 66% |
| Dominant forms of ownership | Community | Private | Shareholding |
| Marketability | Natural economy | Mass production | Small batch production |
| social structure | Estates, classes, the inclusion of everyone in the team; isolation of social structures; low social mobility. | Class division, simplification of social structure, mobility of social elevators, open society | Preservation of social differentiation; the growth of the middle class, professional differentiation depending on the level of knowledge and qualifications |
| Lifespan | 40-50 years old | 70 years old | Over 70 years |
| Human impact on nature | Local, uncontrolled, ideal of harmony | Global, uncontrolled, exploitation | Global, controlled, solution to environmental problems |
| Political life | The predominance of monarchical forms of government, there are no political freedoms, power is above the law, it needs justification, self-government of communities. | Proclamation of political freedoms, equality before the law, democratic transformations, power is not taken for granted, it is required to substantiate the right to leadership | Political pluralism, strong civil society; the emergence of a new form of democracy - consensus democracy. |
| Spiritual life | Traditional religious values dominate, the homogeneous nature of culture, oral transmission of information prevails, a small number of educated people, and the fight against illiteracy. | New values of progress, personal success, faith in science are affirmed; mass culture emerges and occupies a leading position; training of specialists. | The basis of the worldview is information; the special role of science, education; development of individualized consciousness; continuous education. |
community development on the globe characterized by non-linearity and multivariance. Currently, there are many societies (societies) that are very different from each other. They all developed differently.
According to the nature of social development, we can distinguish:
- reforms - as a rule, slow changes affecting certain aspects of public life. Most often, reforms are carried out "from above", by the power of the authorities. Reforms are progressive (lead to positive changes) and regressive (or reactionary, i.e. leading to negative consequences. An example of a progressive reform is the tax reform of Peter the Great. Instead of a household tax, a tax levied on a family without taking into account its size, - he established a poll tax - a tax levied on the soul, i.e. on a person. It was more just. An example of a reactionary reform is the gradual enslavement of the peasants - they ceased to be free;
Revolutions are abrupt, fundamental changes leading to upheavals in all spheres of society. An example of a revolution is February bourgeois revolution in Russia. Its result is the overthrow of the monarchy, a radical reorganization of power and the whole society.
Typology - literally "the science of types", or classification - division into groups. In the very simple version Societies can be classified into preliterate and written. Pre-literate societies do not have a written language, while written ones can transfer knowledge and experience to new generations through a written language.
However, this classification has now lost its meaning - in principle, all societies in the modern world are written. Scientists use a different classification:
1. Traditional (agrarian) society. Signs: the dominance of agriculture; the predominance of subsistence farming (production for oneself, not for sale); extensive technologies (development of production by attracting additional resources - labor, raw materials); the predominance of manual labor; human life is subject to the laws of nature; communal, corporate, state property dominates, private property is not represented; the social structure is inactive, low social mobility; the basis of society is the family and the community; human behavior is regulated by traditions and customs; religion plays an important role in the life of society; collectivist consciousness prevails (the collective is more important than the interests of the individual).
The agrarian society was the Russian society of the pre-Petrine era. There was no industry in Russia, but the main product was created in the field of agriculture.
2. Industrial society. Signs: dominance of industry; development of machine production, intensive technologies (development of production through the introduction of new, more modern technologies); man is the conqueror of nature; the predominance of private property; social mobility is significant; the processes of urbanization are rapidly going on (growth of the urban population - as industry develops in cities); new classes appear - the proletariat, the bourgeoisie; the class structure of society is a thing of the past; there is a secularization of consciousness (a person is freed from the dependence of the church); law is the main regulator of people's behavior in society; individualism is the main principle of consciousness.
The Russian society of the 19th century can be recognized as an industrial society. In Russia of the century before last, industry was most developed, social stratification reached its highest limit - workers worked for pennies, but the economy as a whole developed. Large plants and factories were created.
3. Post-industrial (information) society. Signs: the dominance of the service sector; development of new information technologies, ultra-fast communication systems (fax, Internet); human activity spawned global problems that threaten the existence of human civilization; production, especially "dirty" production, begins to be removed from the boundaries of this society; very high social mobility (a person can work without being tied to a place - via the Internet); the main class is the middle class (owners of small and medium-sized firms); reduction of social stratification; formation of the rule of law and a democratic society; education plays a leading role; science becomes a productive force in the development of society.
Modern Japan is a "classic" example of a post-industrial society. This is a society of small shops, salons providing various services, etc. Part of the Japanese factories are now in other countries. Japan is producing scientific knowledge and their introduction into the economy.
The development of society, leading to the transition to a new type of society (from agrarian to industrial, from industrial to post-industrial) is called modernization. Modernization can take place both at the expense of internal and external resources. Based on this, they distinguish:
Inorganic (artificial) modernization - occurs at the expense of external borrowing, most often carried out by orders of the authorities, is catching up. A typical example is the accelerated, often unprepared modernization of the USSR with the slogans "Catch up and overtake America!". The people are often not ready for such modernization, it is carried out with the effort of people and the whole society. Such modernization most often begins with the political and economic spheres;
- organic (natural) modernization - prepared by the entire previous course of the development of society, carried out naturally, at the expense of internal reserves. Such modernization, as a rule, begins with the spiritual and social spheres, and only then affects the economy and politics. An example of such modernization is the gradual development of Europe, the change in the mentality of Europeans, and only then economic and political transformations.
Multivariance of social development.
Modern humanity is about 5 billion people, more than a thousand peoples and about one and a half hundred states. The reasons for this diversity lie in the difference between natural and climatic conditions life, various historical ways of development.
In the modern world, one can distinguish 3 groups of countries:
1) industrialized(countries of industrial Western civilization - USA, Japan, Western European countries) - characterized by a high level of development, high per capita income (per capita income - gross national product per capita), intensive type of production (introduction of new equipment, technologies and management methods). Technogenic, scientific and technical civilization with a highly developed industry of group A (group A - heavy industry);
2) developing states(traditional societies - countries of Asia and Africa) - low level of development and per capita income, extensive type of production (quantitative expansion of production and the use of traditional technology). These states specialize in the production of agricultural products and industrial products of group B (group B - light industry);
3) countries with economies in transition(Russia, Eastern Europe, Korea, Hong Kong, etc.) – middle level development and indicators of per capita income. Russia is experiencing transition period its economy is mixed. After the reforms of the 1990s, the country experienced a deep socio-economic crisis, a drop in income, and a decline in the birth rate. Starting from 2002, the evolutionary rise of the economy began, mainly due to the inflow of money into the economy from the sale of oil.
Evolution and revolution as forms of social change- these are two types of development that differ in speed, quality and quantity of changes.
Evolution(from lat. unfolding) - a slow process of development (gradual changes, for example, biological evolution according to Darwin). The idea of social evolution was developed by Spencer. He equated social evolution with the development of social progress. The course of social evolution can be independent (with the gradual emergence of new phenomena) or reformatory (changes through social reforms, such as the abolition of serfdom). The engine of social evolution can be a person, nature or society.
The revolution(from lat. turn) - a rapid leap in development associated with qualitative changes (for example, a scientific and technological revolution or a class revolution).
Social Progress(from lat. moving forward) - progressive development society in an ascending line, from the lowest to the highest. The criterion of progress is the level of development of the economy, science, culture and legal relations. Regression (from Lat. return, movement back) - a return to the old stagnation and degradation of society.
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Forms of Social Change: Evolution and Revolution
Evolution- (from the Latin evolutio - deployment) - 1) in a broad sense - a synonym for development; processes of change (mostly irreversible) in nature and society; 2) in the narrow sense, the concept of evolution includes only gradual changes, in contrast to revolution.The revolution The term "revolution" appeared in the XIV century, but at that time it meant only a rotational movement in a circle. Nicolaus Copernicus titled his famous work "On the Rotation of celestial bodies", using the word "revolution": "On the Revolutions of Celestial Bodies". As a result, the content of the term in the social sciences became the opposite of the original, since in the most general sense the concept of "revolution" means fundamental, qualitative changes in the life of society, while the struggle of the ruling classes to preserve the existing system or return to such a system is called counter-revolution.
Typology of societies: Traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies
AT modern science There are many typologies of societies based on different characteristics. We list the most common bases in the scientific literature used for the typology of societies:- evolutionary (primitive, ancient, agrarian, industrial, information society);
- civilizational (savagery, barbarism, civilization);
- formational - according to the mode of production and exchange (primitive, slave-owning, feudal, Asian, capitalist, communist). The term "socio-economic formation" was introduced by K. Marx and F. Engels. According to the formational approach, humanity in its development goes through a number of stages (formations), each of which differs in its basis (a set of economic relations) and the corresponding superstructure (a set of political, legal, religious and other relations). Each formation is characterized by a certain basic form of ownership and a leading class that dominates both the economy and politics;
- open and closed companies;
- by the presence or absence of writing (unwritten, written societies);
- according to the peculiarities of power structures (pre-state and state societies);
- according to the degree of stability (equilibrium and non-equilibrium).
- by level of development: backward, developing, developed.
The most stable in modern sociology is the typology based on the allocation of traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies.
traditional society
(it is also called simple and agrarian) is a society with an agrarian way of life, sedentary structures and a method of sociocultural regulation based on traditions (traditional society). The behavior of individuals in it is strictly controlled, regulated by the customs and norms of traditional behavior, established social institutions among which the most important will be the family, the community. Attempts of any social transformations, innovations are rejected. It is characterized by low rates of development and production. Important for this type of society is a well-established social solidarity, which was established by Durkheim, studying the society of the Australian Aborigines. The traditional society is characterized by a natural division and specialization of labor (mainly by gender and age), personalization interpersonal communication(directly individuals, and not officials or status persons), informal regulation of interactions (norms of unwritten laws of religion and morality), connectedness of members by kinship relations (family type of organization of the community), a primitive system of community management (hereditary power, rule of elders).
industrial society
The Industrial Age (the era of industrial societies) began with the development of capitalist enterprises and relations during the period of collapse feudal society in some countries Western Europe: Holland, Italy, England and others. Capitalists were entrepreneurs who, with their own money, purchased items, tools, working conditions, hired workers and carried out the production of material goods and services for sale for money, for profit. This era ended in the middle of the 20th century, with the advent of elements of the post-industrial (information) civilizational era. This is a type of organization of social life that combines the freedom and interests of the individual with the general principles that regulate them joint activities. It is characterized by the flexibility of social structures, social mobility, and a developed system of communications.
The technological basis of an industrial society is physical and mental labor, new energy sources (electricity, internal combustion engine), machine production on an industrial (industrial) basis. These means of production made it possible to sharply increase the quantity and quality of material goods to meet the demo-social needs of the people.
The social system of an industrial society is characterized by following elements: the growth of the population of the Earth, the nuclear family, urbanization, the complication of the social structure, the growth of social inequality, nationalism and the class struggle of the bourgeois and proletarians, environmental pollution, the transformation of cities into more and more unlivable.
The economic system is characterized by: industrial mode of production; capitalist property, development of finance capital; domination of large monopolies - private and state; growth of the efficiency of social production; emergence of the world market; the division of social production into three sectors (primary - agriculture, secondary - industry, tertiary - services) with the leading role of the industrial sector; the emergence of crises of overproduction; the struggle of the main economic classes (the bourgeoisie and the proletariat).
The political system of an industrial society is characterized by: the collapse of empires and the emergence of nation-states; the development of law; separation of legislative, executive, judicial powers; universal suffrage; formation of civil society and mass political culture. In cities, there is a gap and conflict between the bureaucratic, anonymous state power and the self-governing municipality close to the interests of the people.
The spiritual system of an industrial society is characterized by the reformation of the church, the development of natural science and technical knowledge, the emergence of mass education, the emergence of mass media and science. New religion, philosophy of Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, natural Sciences changed the spiritual climate of post-Reformation Europe.
post-industrial society
In the 1960s the concepts of a post-industrial (information) society appear (D. Bell, A. Touraine, J. Habermas), caused by drastic changes in the economy and culture of the most developed countries. The role of knowledge and information, computer and automatic devices is recognized as leading in society. The individual who received necessary education, having access to the latest information, gets an advantageous chance of moving up the ladder of the social hierarchy. Creative work becomes the main goal of a person in society.
Distinctive features of a post-industrial society:
-transition from the production of goods to the economy of services;
- the rise and dominance of highly educated vocational specialists;
- the main role of theoretical knowledge as a source of discoveries and political decisions in society;
- control over technology and the ability to assess the consequences of scientific and technical innovations;
- making decisions based on the creation of intellectual technology, as well as using the so-called information technology.
- The negative side of the post-industrial society is the danger of strengthening social control on the part of the state, the ruling elite through access to information and electronic media and communication over people and society as a whole. The life world of human society is increasingly subject to the logic of efficiency and instrumentalism. Culture, including traditional values, is destroyed under the influence of administrative control, tending to standardize and unify social relations, social behavior. Society is increasingly subject to the logic of economic life and bureaucratic thinking.
