1. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Chapter 4
Society
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2. Gerhard and Jean Lenski: Society and Technology
Society: people who interact in a defined territory and share culture
Sociocultural evolution: the process of change that results a society acquiring new information, particularly technology
Societies with complex technology
Develop large populations characterized by diverse, highly specialized lives
Change quickly
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3. Hunting-and-Gathering Societies
Simple technology for hunting animals and gathering vegetation
A few societies persist today, e.g., Kung of the Kalahari and Batek of Malaysia
Based on kinship
Men and women equal
Few formal leaders, e.g., shaman
Often ravaged by forces of nature
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4. Horticultural and Pastoral Societies
Horticulture: technology based on using hand tools to cultivate plants
Became widespread by 6000 years ago
Pastoralism: technology based on domestication of animals
Could support a much larger population
Leads to a division of labour and inequality
Rudimentary government and military
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Agrarian Societies
Agriculture: technology of large-scale farming using plows attached to animals later tractors
Larger population and food surpluses
Greater specialization and inequality
Men become dominant
Elites gain great power
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Industrial Societies
Industrialism: technology that powers complex machinery with advances sources of energy
Huge populations and increased communication
Mass production and more specialization and greater inequality
Anonymity and cultural diversity
Trend away from traditional families and towards schooling and various rights
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7. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Fig 4-1
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8. Post-Industrial Societies
Post-industrialism: technology that supports and information-based economy
Great change in occupational structure to service jobs
Information replaces objects as the centre of economy
Worldwide flow of information affects every one on the globe
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Limits of Technology
Poverty remains the plight of billions of people
Individual opportunities at the cost of community
Modern warfare could devastate the planet
The physical environment is threatened by pursuit of material prosperity
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10. Karl Marx: Society and Conflict
Social conflict: the struggle between segments of society over valued resources is Marx’s key
Capitalists own the factories and productive enterprises
Proletariat provide the labour
To maximize profits capitalists exploit the proletariat
Proletariat will overturn the system
(Cont’d)
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11. Karl Marx: Society and Conflict (Cont’d)
Social institutions: major spheres of social life, or society’s subsystems, organized to meet basic human needs
All major institutions operated to shore up a society’s economy
The infrastructure (economy) controls the superstructure (family, politics, religion)
False consciousness: explanations of social problems grounded in individual’s, not society’s shortcomings
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12. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Conflict
Over history new productive forces undermined old orders and new social categories of people gained ascendance, e.g.,the bourgeoisie over the nobility
Class conflict: antagonism between entire classes over the distribution of wealth and power in society
Class consciousness: the recognition by workers of their unity in opposition to capitalists and to capitalism itself
Capitalists would contribute to their own undoing
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13. Capitalism and Alienation
Alienation: the experience of isolation resulting from powerlessness
Capitalism alienates workers in four specific ways:
From the act of working: Workers have no say in production,
From the products of work: Workers have no ownership
From other workers: Work has become competitive
From human potential: Workers do not fulfill themselves in their work
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Max Weber
Rationalization of Society: the historical change from tradition – sentiments and beliefs passed from one generation to another to rationality – deliberate, matter-of-fact calculation of the most efficient means to accomplish a task, as the dominant mode of human thought
Protestantism, Calvinism, and industrial capitalism
Calvinists believed in predestination
not knowing fate was intolerable
economic success showed God’s favour
religious ethic transformed to work ethic
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15. Weber’s Rational Social Organization
Seven characteristics of today’s social life:
Distinctive social institutions
Large-scale organization
Specialized tasks
Personal discipline
Awareness of time
Technical competence
Impersonality
Expressed in bureaucracy, stifling the human spirit
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16. Durkheim: Society and Function
Structure: society beyond ourselves. There are social facts that have objective reality beyond individuals
Function: how social facts help society operate as a complex system
Personality: society is also in ourselves.
We internalize social facts
Society regulates humans through moral discipline
(Cont’d)
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17. Durkheim: Society and Function (Cont’d)
Warned that modern society creates anomie, a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals
Evolving societies
Change from mechanical solidarity, social bonds based on common sentiment and shared moral value that are common among members of pre-industrial societies
To organic solidarity, social bonds based on specialization and interdependence that are strong among members of industrial societies
Key to the change is an expanding division of labour, specialization of economic activity
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18. What Holds Societies Together?
Lenskis: A shared culture and patterns that vary by technology
Karl Marx: Elites force an ‘uneasy peace’
Max Weber: Rational, large-scale organizations
Emile Durkheim: Specialized division of labour
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19. How Have Societies Changed?
Lenskis: Changing technology; modern society has enormous productive power
Karl Marx: Social conflict is now in the open
Max Weber: From traditional to rational thought
Emile Durkheim: From mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity
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20. Why Do Societies Change?
Lenskis: technological innovation transforms society
Karl Marx: struggle between social classes is the engine
Max Weber: modes of thought contribute to change
Emile Durkheim: expanding division of labour causes change
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