The Human Society
Socio I
LECTURER-JONA VICTORIANO
The Concept of Society
Latin word Societas which means ASSOCIATE OR
FRIEND
A group of people occupying a geographical
territory with a common culture, and interacting
with each other.
It is organized in such a way that there are rules
of conduct, customs, traditions, folkways, and
mores that ensure appropriate behaviour
among its members. (Palispis, 1986)
ARISTOTLE
“Man is by nature
a social animal;
an individual who
is unsocial
naturally and not
accidentally is
either beneath
our notice or
more than
human…”
ELEMENTS OF A SOCIETY
 The people must occupy a common territory.
 They must share the same government or other political authority.
 They must have a commonly shared culture and a sense of
belonging in.
 The people are organized in such a way that each one has a
specific function.
 Membership in the group is mainly by sexual reproduction, and
partly also through migration.
 The members must be ready and willing anytime to defend the
group from any threat to its survival, even to the point of
sacrificing one's life for tis defense.
TYPES OF SOCIETIES
A. Pre-Industrial Societies
B. Industrial
C. Post-Industrial
PRE-INDUSTRIAL
1. Hunting and Gathering Societies
- Main form of food production are the daily
collection of wild plants, hunting wild animals, and
collecting shellfish (also known as foraging).
2. Pastoral Societies
- Usually relies on herding and domestication of
animals to meet their food needs. Animals were
also raised to provide milk.
3. Horticultural Societies
- These societies were developed mainly
through the use of hand tools primarily to raise
crops. They use slash-and-burn method to raise
crops.
4. Agricultural Societies
-This particular type of societies use
technological advances to cultivate crops over
a large area. They use plow and irrigation
system in food production.
-Fertile Crescent
5. Feudal Societies
- This society is based on ownership of
land.
- “Lord-Vassal” relationship
- Caste system (Multigenerational)
INDUSTRIAL
 These kind of societies are
basically ruled and driven by the
use of technology to enable
mass production, supporting
large population with a high
capacity for division and labor.
 Tolls and Machinery become
more complex and efficient
owing to the incorporation of
metal alloys such as steel.
(Assembly Line)
 Characterized by the use of fossil
fuels to increase the rate and
scale of production.
 Gave rise to the Industrial
Revolution.
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Industrial Revolution
POSITIVE
 Creation of a new wave of material
goods available for all. (greater
quantity of cheap things)
 More jobs available
 Better transport, communications
and mechanized goods made life
comfortable for man.
 Urban (cities) and rural (villages) life
became dependant upon one another. Isolated life of self-sufficient
villages came to an end.
NEGATIVE
 Environmental damages (city
sanitation, air and water pollution)
 Poor Living Conditions for workers
 Poor Working Conditions
 Larger Inequality between classes
(led to child labor & higher rate of
crimes)
 Workers did not develop their skills of
craftsmanship anymore
 Imperialism
POST-INDUSTRIAL
This refers to societies
that are dominated
by information,
services, and high
technology more
than the production
of goods.
CULTURAL EVOLUTION OF HUMAN
SOCIETY
Unilinear Evolution
1. Savagery(Hunting & gathering, use of fire,
bow & arrow)
2. Barbarism (pottery, domestication, iron)
3. Civilization ( Begins with the use of a phonetic
alphabet and production of literary records.)
Universal Evolution
- Refers to the general evolutionary progress in
human economic and social life.
Multilinear Evolution
- Negates Unilinear Evolution which sees it as a racist
and colonialist view of evolution.
Differential Evolution
- Evolution may be unilinear or
multilinear but the difference lies on
the rates of progress. It also examines
the different components within the
society develop relative to each other.
COLLAPSE OF SOCIETY
If its members are killed off, as in case of war and
invasion.
If its members become apathetic and no longer care
whether or not the society continues to exist.
If society falls into a state of chaos. (Anarchy)
If society is absorbed into another society as a result of
colonization.
(Assimilation
through
trade
or
intermarriage)
Natural Disasters (tsunami, earthquake, massive fire,
climate change)
COLLAPSE OF SOCIETY
Malthusian Catastrophe
Overpopulation
Resource Depletion