Week 6: Society. Society refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a culture...
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Transcript of Week 6: Society. Society refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a culture...
Week 6: Society
Society refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a culture
How and why do all societies change? What forces divide a society? What forces hold a society together? These are the questions we are going to answer today
According to Lenski, the more technology a society has, the faster it changes
Five types of societies, defined by their technology: hunting and gathering societies, horticultural and pastoral societies, agrarian societies, industrial societies, and postindustrial societies
Hunting and gathering societies
making use of simple tools to hunt animals and gather vegetation for food
depend on the family to do many things
although women and men perform different tasks, most hunters and gatherers probably see the sexes as having about the same social importance (Leacock, 1978)
people come close to being socially equal
large-scale cultivation using plows harnessed to animals or more powerful energy sources
money as a common standard of exchange, and the old barter system was abandoned
extreme social inequality, typically more than modern societies such as our own
agriculture raises men to a position of social dominance
religion reinforces the power of elites
Horticultural and Pastoral Societies
use of hand tools to raise crops
the domestication of animals
compared to hunting and gathering societies, horticultural and pastoral societies are more socially diverse
greater inequality, with elites using government power -and military force- to serve their own interests
more likely to think of one God as the creator of the world
Agrarian Societies
the production of goods using advanced sources of energy to drive large machinery
water power and then steam boilers to operate mills and factories filled with large machines
change was so rapid that it sparked the birth of sociology itself
weakening of close working relationships, strong family ties, and many of the traditional values, beliefs and customs
Industrial Societies
the production of information using computer technology
less and less labour force the postindustrial society is
at the heart of globalization technology has improved
life and brought the world's people closer but establishing peace, ensuring justice, and protecting the environment are problems that technology alone cannot solve
Postindustrial Societies
Karl Marx: Society and Conflict
Social conflict, the struggle between segments of society over valued resources
Capitalism turns a small part of the population into capitalists, people who own and operate factories and other businesses in pursuit of profits, and most of the population into industrial workers, whom Marx called proletarians, people who sell their labour for wages
Capitalism always ends up creating conflict between capitalists and workers
Marx views the economic system as society's infrastructure, while other institutions, including the family, the political system and religion, form society's superstructure and support the economy
Conflict is the engine that drives social change Communism is a system in which people commonly own
and equally share the food and other things they produce
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle”
Class conflict refers to conflict between entire classes over the distribution of a society's wealth and power
Revolution would not come easily: 1) workers must become aware of their oppression and see capitalism as its true cause 2) they must organise and act to address their problems
Alienation, the experience of isolation and misery resulting from powerlessness: 1) alienation from the act of working 2) alienation from the products of work 3) alienation from other workers 4) alienation from human potential
Alienation is a barrier to social change Marx imagined a system of production that could provide for
the social needs of all. He called this system socialism
Max Weber: The Rationalisation of Society
Disagreed with Marx's philosophy of materialism. Weber's philosophical approach, called idealism, emphasised how human ideas – especially beliefs and values- shape society
Members of preindustrial societies are bound by tradition and people in industrial-capitalist societies are guided by rationality
By tradition, Weber meant values and beliefs passed from generation to generation (people are guided by the past)
By rationality, Weber meant a way of thinking that emphasises deliberate, matter-of-fact calculation of the most efficient way to accomplish a particular task
Weber viewed both the Industrial Revolution and the development of capitalism as evidence of modern rationality
Weber described modern society as “disenchanted” because scientific thinking has swept away most of people's sentimental ties to the past
Weber went to identify seven characteristics of rational social organisation: 1) distinctive social institutions 2) large-scale organisations 3) specialised tasks 4) personal discipline 5) awareness of time 6) technical competence 7) impersonality
He believed that bureaucracy has much in common with capitalism; bureaucracy is highly rational because its elements -offices, duties, and policies- help achieve specific goals as efficiently as possible
Weber agreed with Marx that modern society generates widespread alienation. Marx thought alienation was caused by economic inequality, while Weber blamed alienation on bureaucracy's countless rules and regulations
He was deeply pessimistic about the future. He feared that the rationalisation of society would reduce human beings to robots
Emile Durkheim: Society and Function
Society is more than the individuals who compose it Because society is bigger than any one of us, it has the
power to guide our thoughts and actions The significance of social fact, Durkheim explained, is more
than what individuals see in their lives; social facts help society operate
He acknowledged the advantages of modern-day freedom, but he warned of increased anomie, a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals
Mechanical solidarity refers to social bonds, based on common sentiments and shared moral values, that are strong among members of preindustrial societies
Organic solidarity refers to social bonds, based on specialisation and interdependence, that are strong among members of industrial societies
Mechanical solidarity is based on similarity, whereas organic solidarity is based on differences among people
For Durkheim, then, the key to change in a society is an expanding division of labour, or specialised economic activity
Marx saw in society not unity but social divison based on class. For Marx, true social unity can occur only if production becomes a cooperative process. To Weber, the members of a society share a worldview. Durkheim made solidarity the focus of his work
"-should we go to them? - we should go to the forest. To seek a new beginning."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT9YKjn67Og