1. People who interact in a defined territory and share culture
Society
People who interact in a defined territory and share culture

2. Visions of Society Four diverse perspectives on what accounts for social change and societal evolution
Gerhard Lenski
Society and technology
Karl Marx
Society in conflict
Max Weber
The power of ideas shapes society
Emile Durkheim
How traditional and modern societies hang together

3. Gerhard Lenski
Sociocultural evolution–The changes that occur as a society gains new technology
Societies range from simple to the technologically complex.
Societies simple in technology tend to resemble one another.
More technologically complex societies reveal striking cultural diversity.

4. Sociocultural Evolution
Technology shapes other cultural patterns. Simple technology can only support small numbers of people who live simple lives.
The greater amount of technology a society has within its grasp, the faster cultural change will take place.
High-tech societies are capable of sustaining large numbers of people who are engaged in a diverse division of labor.

6. Global Map 4.1
High Technology in Global Perspective

7. Lenski’s Five Types Of Societies
Hunting and gathering
The use of simple tools to hunt animals and gather vegetation
Horticultural and pastoral
Horticulture–The use of hand tools to raise crops
Pastoralism–The domestication of animals
Agriculture/Agrarian
Large-scale cultivation using plows harnessed to animals or more powerful energy sources
Industrialism
The production of goods using advanced sources of energy to drive large machinery
Postindustrialism
The production of information using computer technology

8. Lenski’s Five Types Of Societies
Hunting and gathering
Earliest and simplest of all societies on earth
Nomadic
Have only a dozen or so members
Built around family
Consider men and women to be equals

10. Lenski’s Five Types Of Societies
Horticultural and Pastoral
More food so more people into the hundreds
Greater specialization of work
Increasing presence of social inequality
Developed over 12,000 years ago as people raised animals instead of hunting them and created hand tools for crop raising

11. Lenski’s Five Types Of Societies
Agrarian
Developed about 5,000 years ago as plows or other energy sources allowed for large scale food prod.
Expanded into empires
Greater specialization with distinct occupations
Extreme social inequality
Women start to lose importance

12. Lenski’s Five Types Of Societies
Industrial
Developed in Europe 250 years ago as energy was harnessed to drive machinery
Provides modern conveniences and advanced comm. and tech.
Moves work from home to factory
Reduces importance of trad. Family
Raises living standard

13. Lenski’s Five Types Of Societies
Post-Industrial
The most recent state of tech. Advancement that caters to an inform.-based economy
Shift from heavy industries to computers and information systems
Requires people with information-skills; i.e. comp. Programmers
Driving force behind the Information Revolution, flow of info. that caters to the emerging global culture

14. Is Society Improving?

15. Are Societies Improving?
Gerhard Lenski: Modern technology offers expanded human choice, but leaves us with new sets of dangers.
Karl Marx: Social conflict would only end once production of goods and services were taken out of the hands of the capitalists and placed into the hands of all people.

16. Are Societies Improving?
Max Weber: Saw socialism as a greater evil than capitalism, as large, alienating bureaucracies would gain even more control over people.
Emile Durkheim: Optimistic about modernity and the possibility of more freedom for individuals, but concerned about the dangers of anomic feelings.