Differentiate between cyclical and linear theories of social change.
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The five theories of social change are as follows: 1. Evolutionary Theory 2. Cyclical Theory 3. Economic (Mandan) Theory of Social Change 4. Conflict Theory 5. Technological Theory.
A variety of reasons have been offered throughout history to explain why social change occurs. The problem of explaining social change was central to nineteenth century sociology. Many earlier theories of society that claimed to be scientific were in fact theories of change. They sought to explain the present in terms of the past. Auguste Comte, the French sociologist, who coined the term ‘sociology’ described society as starting from the ‘logical’ stage, passing through a ‘metaphysical’ stage and finally reaching a ‘positivistic’ stage.
Many different theories were propounded to define and explain social change. Broadly, theories of nineteenth century may be divided into theories of social evolution (Saint-Simon, Comte, Spencer, Durkheim etc.) and theories of social revolution (Marx).
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Among the general theoretical explanations offered for understanding social change are geographical, biological, economic and cultural. All these we have discussed in the previous section.
Theories of social change can be divided into two groups:
(1) Theories relating to the direction of social change:
Various types of evolutionary theories, and cyclical theory.
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(2) Theories relating to causation of change:
(a) Those explaining change in terms of endogamous factors or processes; and
(b) Those emphasising exogamous factors such as economic, cultural or historical.
1. Evolutionary Theory:
Despite the wide variety in the possible directions change may take, various generalisations have been set forth. Because the lot of mankind generally has improved over the long term, by far the most numerous classes of theories of the direction of change comprise various cumulative or evolutionary trends. Though varying in many ways, these theories share an important conclusion that the course of man’s history is marked up ‘upward’ trend through time.
The notion of evolution came into social sciences from the theories of biological evolution. With the advent of Darwinian Theory of biological evolution, society and culture began to be regarded as undergoing the same changes and demonstrating the same trends.
It was conceived that society and culture were subject to the same general laws of biological and organism growth. Some thinkers even identified evolution with progress and proceeded to project into the future more and more perfect and better-adapted social and cultural forms.
Charles Darwin (1859), the British biologist, who propounded the theory of biological evolution, showed that species of organisms have evolved from simpler organisms to the more complicated organisms through the processes of variations and natural selection. After Darwin, ‘evolution’, in fact, became the buzz word in all intellectual inquiry and Darwin and Spencer were the key names of an era in the history of thought.
Herbert Spencer (1890), who is known to be the forerunner of this evolutionary thought in sociology, took the position that sociology is “the study of evolution in its most complex form”. For him, evolution is a process of differentiation and integration.
Hope this may help you... If yes than pls mark it as a brainlist answer pls please.........
The five theories of social change are as follows: 1. Evolutionary Theory 2. Cyclical Theory 3. Economic (Mandan) Theory of Social Change 4. Conflict Theory 5. Technological Theory.
A variety of reasons have been offered throughout history to explain why social change occurs. The problem of explaining social change was central to nineteenth century sociology. Many earlier theories of society that claimed to be scientific were in fact theories of change. They sought to explain the present in terms of the past. Auguste Comte, the French sociologist, who coined the term ‘sociology’ described society as starting from the ‘logical’ stage, passing through a ‘metaphysical’ stage and finally reaching a ‘positivistic’ stage.
Many different theories were propounded to define and explain social change. Broadly, theories of nineteenth century may be divided into theories of social evolution (Saint-Simon, Comte, Spencer, Durkheim etc.) and theories of social revolution (Marx).
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Among the general theoretical explanations offered for understanding social change are geographical, biological, economic and cultural. All these we have discussed in the previous section.
Theories of social change can be divided into two groups:
(1) Theories relating to the direction of social change:
Various types of evolutionary theories, and cyclical theory.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(2) Theories relating to causation of change:
(a) Those explaining change in terms of endogamous factors or processes; and
(b) Those emphasising exogamous factors such as economic, cultural or historical.
1. Evolutionary Theory:
Despite the wide variety in the possible directions change may take, various generalisations have been set forth. Because the lot of mankind generally has improved over the long term, by far the most numerous classes of theories of the direction of change comprise various cumulative or evolutionary trends. Though varying in many ways, these theories share an important conclusion that the course of man’s history is marked up ‘upward’ trend through time.
The notion of evolution came into social sciences from the theories of biological evolution. With the advent of Darwinian Theory of biological evolution, society and culture began to be regarded as undergoing the same changes and demonstrating the same trends.
It was conceived that society and culture were subject to the same general laws of biological and organism growth. Some thinkers even identified evolution with progress and proceeded to project into the future more and more perfect and better-adapted social and cultural forms.
Charles Darwin (1859), the British biologist, who propounded the theory of biological evolution, showed that species of organisms have evolved from simpler organisms to the more complicated organisms through the processes of variations and natural selection. After Darwin, ‘evolution’, in fact, became the buzz word in all intellectual inquiry and Darwin and Spencer were the key names of an era in the history of thought.
Herbert Spencer (1890), who is known to be the forerunner of this evolutionary thought in sociology, took the position that sociology is “the study of evolution in its most complex form”. For him, evolution is a process of differentiation and integration.
Hope this may help you... If yes than pls mark it as a brainlist answer pls please.........
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