Week 6: Society
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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
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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
Horticultural and Pastoral Societies
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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
Agrarian Societies
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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 forceto serve their own interests
more likely to think of one
God as the creator of the
world
Industrial Societies
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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
Postindustrial Societies
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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
Karl Marx: Society and Conflict
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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
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“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
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Members of preindustrial societies are bound by tradition
and people in industrial-capitalist societies are guided by
rationality
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By tradition, Weber meant values and beliefs passed from
generation to generation (people are guided by the past)
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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
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Weber viewed both the Industrial Revolution and the
development of capitalism as evidence of modern rationality
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Weber described modern society as “disenchanted”
because scientific thinking has swept away most of people's
sentimental ties to the past
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Weber went to identify seven characteristics of rational
social organisation: 1) distinctive social institutions 2) largescale 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
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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
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For Durkheim, then, the key to change in a society is an
expanding division of labour, or specialised economic
activity
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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
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"-should we go to them?
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- we should go to the forest. To seek a new beginning."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT9YKjn67Og
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