Society is a dynamic system, constantly evolving. The development of society is influenced by many factors, among them it is customary to highlight the objective factors of the development of society, those that do not directly depend on the will and conscious activity of people and social groups, and the subjective factors of the development of society, which depend on the will, interest and conscious activity of a person and various social groups.
The most important objective factor in the development of society is nature. Thus, the most ancient civilizations arose on the banks of great rivers (they are called “river civilizations”). However, a natural factor can also contribute to death. A striking example of the influence of a natural factor on the development and death of civilizations is the Minoan civilization, the flourishing of which was facilitated by more favorable natural conditions, and the death was accelerated by a volcanic eruption.
Natural factor gives impetus to the technological factor - in favorable conditions of the tropics, hunting and gathering satisfy basic human needs, but changing conditions lead to the need to search for new technologies - ways to meet human needs. Agriculture, cattle breeding, crafts, and trade appeared. New forms of supporting life require more complex organization of society and improved culture. Some scientists associate the emergence of states with the need for massive irrigation work, for example, in the Nile Valley.
Technological factor can contribute to the rapid development of society, demographic growth, thanks to which there are more opportunities for subjective factors to manifest themselves.
The main subjective factors in the development of society are the masses, social groups and historical figures.
All factors can contribute both progress and regression of society.
If we look back and remember what society was like 200, 500, 1000 years ago, we will definitely come to the conclusion that social development is moving forward from simpler and more primitive forms to more complex and perfect ones, i.e. society is progressing. Progress is a direction of development, which is characterized by the progressive movement of society from lower and simpler forms of social organization to higher and more complex ones. The concept of progress is opposed to the concept of regression, which is characterized by a reverse movement - from higher to lower, degradation, return to already outdated forms.
The idea of the development of society as a progressive process finally took shape in the works of French enlighteners (Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Marie Jean Antoine de Condorcet, etc.). They identified the development of the human mind and the spread of education as a criterion of progress. A number of thinkers of the 19th century (for example, Henri Saint-Simon, Francois Marie Charles Fourier) highlighted the development of public morality as a criterion of progress. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel associated progress with the degree of consciousness of freedom. Marxism emphasized the development of productive forces as the main criterion of progress.
In modern sociology, historical progress is associated with the process of modernization, that is, the transition from traditional society to industrial, and then to post-industrial.
Based on all of the above, we can say that the main criterion of progress is the degree of freedom that society provides to the individual for the maximum development of his capabilities.
However, moving forward does not exclude return movements and regression. Thus, the development of tools and high labor productivity are obvious evidence of progress, but they have given rise to global environmental and raw material problems. The conveniences of city life are accompanied by numerous “diseases of urbanization.” Progress is contradictory. The inconsistency of progress is that progress in one area of social life can be accompanied or even be the cause of regression in another area of social life.
(Additional information) Development of society, its sources and driving forces:
Progress (movement forward, success) is the idea that society develops from simple to complex, from lower to higher, from less ordered to more organized and fair.
Regression is an idea of the development of society when it becomes less complex, developed, and cultural than it was.
Stagnation is a temporary stop of development.
Progress criteria:
1) Condorcet (18th century) considered the development of reason to be a criterion of progress.
2) Saint-Simon: the criterion of progress is morality. Society should be one where all people are brothers to each other.
3) Schelling: progress - gradual approach to a legal structure.
4) Hegel (19th century): sees progress in the consciousness of freedom.
5) Marx: progress is the development of material production, which allows one to master the elemental forces of nature and achieve social harmony and progress in the spiritual sphere.
6) In modern conditions, progress is:
– life expectancy of society;
– lifestyle;
- spiritual life.
Reform (change) is a change in any area of life carried out by the authorities peacefully (social changes in public life).
Types of reforms: – economic,
– political (changes to the Constitution, electoral system, legal sphere).
Revolution (turn, revolution) is a radical, qualitative change in any basic phenomena.
Modernization is adaptation to new conditions.
What drives human history (?):
1) Providentialists: everything in the world comes from God, according to divine providence.
2) History is made by great people.
3) Society develops according to objective laws.
a) Some scientists take the position that this is the theory of social evolutionism: society, as a part of nature, develops progressively and proceeds unilinearly.
b) Others adhere to the theory of historical materialism: the driving force for the development of society is the recognition of the primacy of people’s material needs.
From Weber's point of view, the source and driving force of the development of society is the Protestant ethic: a person must work to become God's chosen one for salvation.
1. “Broad” and “narrow” definitions of nature: nature as the material world and as the biosphere.
2. The importance of “starting” natural conditions for the development of culture and civilization.
3. Main stages of interaction between nature and society:
a) the emergence of Homo sapiens and the “appropriating” economy;
b) transition to a “productive” economy, active human intervention in the natural environment, the emergence of technogenic societies;
c) industrial revolution, the formation of the idea of progressive social development;
d) growing global environmental conflict, attempts to harmonize the “strategy of nature” and the “strategy of man.”
In addition to defining nature in the broad and narrow sense of the word, in first The question should trace the evolution of ideas about nature in the mythological, philosophical, religious and scientific pictures of the world.
When answering second question consider the influence of geographical location, territory, climate, landscape, flora and fauna, waterways, minerals, population on the development of society. Trace how the formation of new, nature-mediated factors of social development took place.
Revealing third question, show the influence on the nature of the interaction between society and nature of both industrial revolutions and religious and philosophical ideas. Stages (b, c, d) can also be considered as the Neolithic, industrial and scientific and technological revolutions.
Topic 53. PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT
1. Society as a developing system:
a) the concept of “society” in the materialist concept;
b) idealistic theories of social development;
c) organicist and naturalistic approaches to the historical process.
2. The theory of socio-economic formations by K. Marx.
3. Civilizational concept of historical development.
4. Progress and regression in social development.
Replying to first question, emphasize that, depending on their ideological position, different philosophers understood society differently, therefore there were different concepts of social development. Reveal the main essence, name the authors, indicate the characteristic features of these concepts.
Consideration second question, start with the fact that, from the point of view of K. Marx, the development of the social organism determines the method of production of material goods. Based on this, he developed a doctrine of socio-economic formation, which was understood as the inextricable unity of the material and spiritual aspects of the life of society at this stage of its development.
Revealing third question, indicate that the idea of civilizations as the dominant of the historical process was put forward by N.Ya. Danilevsky. He proceeded from the fact that the development of society is carried out in parallel by several socio-historical organisms (civilizations) on the basis of a common culture. Also indicate the authors of other theories (O. Spengler, A. Toynbee, W. Rostow, etc.), identify the features most characteristic of this approach to the development of history.
Analysis fourth question, begin by presenting two options for resolving the question of the direction of human history: pessimistic (human history is moving along the path of regression) and optimistic (history is dominated by progress). Name the authors of these views, the distinctive features of these theories and their forecasts for the future.
Topic 54. PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIETY
1. The concept of society in philosophy and sociology.
2. Society as a self-developing system.
3. Social actions and their meaning.
Expanding on this topic, show that philosophy forms a holistic view of history and the historical process that the private sciences of society cannot offer.
Reply to first The question involves distinguishing the concepts of “people”, “nation”, “state” from the concept of “society”. In addition, it is necessary to identify the specifics of considering this concept in philosophy and sociology. In the first question, we will consider the genesis of society and its development from various philosophical positions: materialism (historical materialism of K. Marx), idealism (absolute idealism of G. Hegel), theology (Augustine Aurelius). It is also necessary to highlight the opposite approaches to understanding the criteria of social development - formational (K. Marx) and civilizational (N. Danilevsky, O. Spengler, etc.). Emphasize that depending on what aspect of society or history is being studied, one or another philosophical concept can be chosen, but do not forget that people's lives are always richer than any theoretical constructs that explain it. Give a philosophical definition of society and reveal its essence.
When presenting second question, pay attention to the following sources of self-development of society: the contradictions of the natural and cultural organization of man and his communities; contradictions associated with social relations that arise in the process of human labor activity.
Revealing third question, proceed from the following proposition: the meaning of people’s social actions is determined by their values. People interact for the sake of something. Choose the most interesting and fruitful, in your opinion, philosophical concepts of society from antiquity to our time.
Topic 55. PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY
1. Historiosophy as a field of philosophical knowledge: subject and categories.
2. Review of historiosophical concepts from ancient to classical models.
3. The meaning of history and approaches to its interpretation in postclassical historiosophical concepts.
4. The problem of culture and civilization.
5. The essence, direction and criteria of the historical development of mankind.
Guidelines
History has always attracted the attention of philosophers. However, only in the 18th century. philosophy of history stands out as an independent branch of philosophy. The term “philosophy of history” was introduced by Voltaire, and in the works of I. Herder, the philosophy of history took shape in a special direction of research. Various problems of the philosophy of history were addressed by C. Montesquieu, G. Hegel, K. Marx, A. Toynbee, O. Spengler, K. Jaspers, M. Weber, O. Comte, N. Danilevsky, P. Sorokin. First of all, it is necessary to find out what philosophy of history studies. Despite the fact that the problems of the philosophy of history have changed over time, the main feature that distinguishes it from the historical sciences proper is the approach to history from the point of view of philosophical principles and categories. Next, we need to understand what the driving forces of the historical process are, what factors give direction to historical changes, determine historical development, and how this issue was resolved in the history of philosophy. Try to critically approach the one-sidedness of various types of determination of the historical process. How did philosophers resolve the question of the meaning and purpose of the historical process? How do you imagine solving these issues? The problem of the meaning of history is associated with another important issue for the philosophy of history - about historical progress. It is also important to answer the question: is there progress in history and what are its criteria? In conclusion, find out how historical development is presented in modern theories of industrial, post-industrial and information society?
IN first question, it is necessary to show the specifics of historiosophy as a philosophical discipline, identify the range of its problems and determine the main categories with which it operates (historical process, functioning, change, development, progress, etc.).
In second question, trace the main stages in the formation of philosophical ideas about the historical process. Start with mythological ideas about the “world year”, then move on to ancient, Christian and Islamic medieval historiosophy, and from them to the principle of substantiation of historiosophical concepts in modern times and during the period of classical rationality.
The diversity of postclassical historiosophical paradigms that replaced the classical interpretations of history (third question ) can be distributed according to any criterion: linear and cyclic; those who defend the “principle of world history” and interpret the world process as a set of original histories of individual civilizations; recognizing the rationality of history and asserting the leading role of some irrational element. In accordance with the choice of criteria, some concepts can be “involved” in different nominations. Pay special attention to the analysis of the concepts of history developed in the “philosophy of life”, existentialism, Marxism, the teachings of N.Ya. Danilevsky, K.N. Leontyev, O. Spengler, A. Toynbee, K. Jaspers.
IN fourth The main thing in this question is the choice of criteria for distinguishing these concepts. It is necessary to touch upon the history of the problem and present the most significant concepts. The concept of “civilization” appeared in close connection with the concept of “culture”, therefore, when analyzing it, their comparison as paired categories is inevitable.
Fifth the question involves identifying the essence of the concept “historical development of mankind”, its directions (progress, regression, single-level development), the criteria by which we can judge this.
Developing system. And many things influence her. To simplify the understanding of the topic, science identifies objective and subjective factors in the development of society. And later in the article we will try to list them and consider them in more detail.
Nature
This is the first thing that needs to be noted when talking about objective and subjective factors in the development of society. Nature falls into the first category. After all, in fact, objective factors are those that do not directly depend on the conscious activity of a person and people, as well as on their will.
So, nature plays an important role in And there is a lot of evidence for this. For example, ancient civilizations were based on river banks. And this is logical, because nearby is the water that a person needs for a full existence.
About destruction
True, natural factors often contributed to death. Just remember the Minoan civilization, which existed from 2700 to 1400 BC. Natural conditions contributed to its flourishing. The Minoans carved dwellings in the rocks and began to practice stamping seals on clay. Their main activity was maritime trade, since the island was located at the intersection of major trade routes. But then the Santorini volcano erupted - and this natural factor accelerated the death of the Minoan civilization.
Technologies
So, nature contributes to the satisfaction of basic human needs. But technology is also included in the factors of social development. You could even say that in our time they are in first place.
Many scientists thought so. For example, (American publicist, sociologist and economist) is the founder of the idea of technocracy. He argued that the progress of society is the development of technology. And this idea began to spread especially actively at the moment when the industrial revolution arose. Many figures of that time assured that in order for an industrial society to develop and form with dignity and create wealth through production, and not through wars and robbery, power must be transferred to the hands of the technical intelligentsia.
Man and technology
When talking about objective and subjective factors in the development of society, it is necessary to pay attention to how exactly in our time technologies influence its prosperity. Of course, a little earlier the appearance of something new was a miracle that could improve productivity, the quality of a particular process, etc. But now, probably, about 90% of human labor is mechanized. And that's not good. Because many people no longer have the need to develop and work. And this is no longer progress, but degradation. And there are many clear examples of this in life.
How was it before? To pass an exam or test, students studied, read tons of books, sat in libraries, and prepared. They wrote the tips by hand, in small handwriting (at the same time remembering what was written). And thanks to this, they emerged from the walls of the university as trained specialists who received their education with their own minds and strengths. What's happening nowadays? There are micro-earphones, pens with built-in secret “cheat sheets”, phones with the Internet, after all. Of course, not everyone “learns” in this way and not everywhere, but it is a fact that the quality of training of specialists has decreased. And this is just one example.
About progress
When talking about objective and subjective factors in the development of society, one cannot help but turn to examples. Namely: to the USA, Western Europe and Japan. This is where progress is most evident. And the development of society is the notorious computerization, automation and everything - for the benefit of people.
With the help of modern technologies, it is possible to process incredible amounts of information. Thanks to this, production output increases, and the management of various types of institutions becomes simpler. All this has a direct impact on the fact that technological progress contributes to the manifestation of subjective development factors. Society, individual social groups, individuals get the opportunity to express themselves. Technical progress is an impetus for self-development.
And with a competent approach, information will not be the reason for the reduction of traditional production, but for expansion. It’s just that what existed previously in social systems will receive additional, new impulses for development. True, Russia still lags behind the above countries in computerization of management and industry.
Two sides of the same coin
When talking about the main factors in the development of society, one cannot fail to mention the consequences of the notorious progress. They can be both positive and negative.
Take, for example, the improvement of tools. This is progress that contributes to the growth of living standards and the satisfaction of human needs. But at the same time, it can provoke unemployment, and also depletion of energy and raw material reserves.
The growth of cities is also good, since the level of well-being and spiritual culture of the population is growing. But at the same time, alienation between people cannot be ruled out. And the saddest thing is the pollution of the natural environment.
The introduction of computer technology ensures ease of obtaining and subsequent processing of information. Making decisions has become much easier and faster. But computerization can threaten global manipulation of consciousness and the emergence of occupational diseases.
Progress also includes the discovery of possibilities for the use of nuclear energy, which contributes to economic growth and cheaper energy. But the consequence could be a nuclear arms race or even the threat of planetary destruction.
The last thing I would like to note is the spread of mass culture. A good consequence of this is the easy accessibility of cultural achievements. And the bad ones are the decline of morality and lack of spirituality.
What plays a decisive role
Some objective and subjective factors were discussed above - in general, a very interesting science. And people involved in it have a definite opinion about what exactly plays a decisive role in our life, assigning it to objective factors. After all, they determine everything that is subjective - the direction of the activities of people and society.
These include the state of social institutions (army, family, education and court), the size of the state’s territory, and the specifics of the climate. There are plenty of examples. If, for example, there is extreme heat in a particular region, people will think about creating an effective and low-cost cooling system, but not about heating. This example shows how an objective factor (climate) contributes to the development of society through the application of something that is subjective (technology).
But in historical idealism the opposite is true. There the subjective factor is decisive. Because it includes certain activities of significant and outstanding personalities, based on the church and government. The mass of the people here is an objective factor (or, in other words, a condition) promoting social development.
Progress criteria
There are 4 main factors in the development of society. They characterize the transition from lower to higher, or, in other words, the path to perfection:
- Increasing welfare and social security of members of society.
- Reduction of confrontation between people, improvement of interpersonal relationships. And accordingly, the growth of spirituality and the acquisition of morality by people.
- Affirmation of democracy.
- Gaining freedom to people. It is in the absence of coercion to anything from the outside that the happiness of every person lies.
There are only 4 criteria. Objective and subjective factors in the development of society are clearly intertwined in them. Because one cannot exist without the other.
About subjectivity
This is the last thing I would like to talk about. Objective and subjective factors in the development of society, in short, represent a certain basis for the entire modern society. The topic is quite complex. Because it is connected with people on whom everything subjective depends. For example, moral consciousness is morality, which is aimed at regulating social relations and the behavior of individuals. Moral consciousness is a set of certain views, opinions and ideas about something. In this case, it’s about people’s behavior. Accordingly, morality acts as a regulator of the latter.
Includes ethical feelings, principles, judgments, norms of behavior, values. All this affects social development - its prosperity or degradation. For example, if absolutely every person took proper care of the environment and thought about its safety, then our planet would be truly green. There would be no cigarette butts, no bottles, no forests would be cut down, no animals would be exterminated. Many extinct species would survive. This is what the manifestation of the relationship between an objective factor (nature) and a subjective factor (people’s behavior) looks like.
The study of the nature and specifics of social life should begin with the study of its primary element - man, man as an individual. But a person is not born an individual. In the process of life activity, especially at an early age, she acquires all one way or another necessary social signs and traits that help her live and act in the social environment, perceive it and make her own influential adjustments in the process of activity.
An individual does not have the opportunity to choose where, when and how to live. He finds a certain natural and social environment and is forced to adapt and adapt to its conditions. This process of “entering” into public life is usually called socialization. Its essence lies in mastering social roles (son, brother, friend, student, buyer, passenger, etc.) and acquiring skills in appropriate role behavior. The acquisition and adjustment of such skills are stimulated by encouragement or condemnation from others, through a system of social control. Socialization begins in early childhood and continues throughout life, as the options for role behavior are endless.
So, a person constantly feels his complete or at least partial dependence on other people or is depersonalized by external circumstances. She sees that her desire and aspiration each time encounter certain obstacles, her opportunities to realize her own will and achieve her goal are, as a rule, limited. Already from childhood, she gets used to perceiving the world around people as strictly standardized and determined by custom, law or someone’s will. Therefore, the theory of socialization acquires decisive importance in studying the system of action of these factors.
Socialization will be the process during which a human being with certain biological inclinations acquires certain qualities necessary for life in society. In a broader definition, this concept is understood as the process of an individual’s assimilation of patterns of behavior, psychological mechanisms, social norms and values that are necessary for the successful functioning of the individual in a given society.
Socialization theory establishes under the influence of what social factors certain personality characteristics are created, and the very mechanism of the process of a person’s entry from the individual to the social. From these positions, the socialization system includes: social cognition, mastery of certain practical skills, assimilation of certain norms, positions, roles and statuses, development of value orientations and attitudes, as well as the inclusion of a person in active creative activity. Socialization includes the processes of assimilation, adaptation (getting used to new conditions), education (targeted influence on the spiritual sphere and behavior of the individual), training (mastering new knowledge) - in a word, mastering the “rules of life.” Sometimes, as derivatives, this includes maturation and maturation (sociopsychological and physiological processes of human formation). Thus, socialization is not only the acquisition of social and economic independence, but also the formation of personality. The individual is the starting point of this process, and the mature personality is the finishing point.
The process of socialization continues throughout life; several “life” cycles (stages) are distinguished in it: pre-labor, labor and non-labor. In this regard, socialization has an active character.
Depending on the age of a person, three main stages of socialization are conventionally defined: primary (socialization of a child, marginal (adolescent), persistent holistic socialization (transition to maturity). In addition, each period is characterized by certain characteristics. Thus, in adulthood, socialization is aimed at changing behavior in a new situation, and in childhood the emphasis is on the formation of value orientation. Adults, based on their own experience, are only able to evaluate and perceive them critically, and children are only able to assimilate them. Figure 1 shows the relationship between the assimilation and acquisition of social characteristics. and qualities in the process of socialization and depending on age: at an early age, the process of assimilation of qualities takes place most intensively, and, as a rule, the most important vital signs, and at a later age, vice versa.
Socialization- as a purposeful constructive process - should begin in childhood, when almost 70% of the human personality is formed. If you are late, irreversible processes may begin. It is in childhood that the foundation of socialization is laid; time is its most vulnerable stage. The process of acquiring certain social qualities occurs with the help of someone else - agents of socialization (specific people who are responsible for training and assimilation of cultural norms and social roles of institutions of socialization (institutions, institutions that influence the process of socialization and direct it). Since socialization is divided into two type - primary and secondary, insofar as both agents and institutions of socialization are divided into primary (the immediate and immediate environment of a person: parents, family, relatives, friends, teachers, etc., and secondary (all those who stand in the second, less important echelon of influence per person: representatives of the administration of a school, institute, enterprise, army, church, law enforcement agencies, mass media, various formal organizations, official institutions).
Socialization goes through stages that coincide with the so-called life cycles. They mark important milestones in the biography of each person. Life cycles are associated with changes in social roles, acquisition of a new status, changes in lifestyle, and the like. This is the basis for one of the mechanisms of socialization - the so-called cyclical theory of socialization (according to the stages or cycles of individual human development). According to this theory of personality formation, there are 8 stages, respectively, with each of which a characteristic mechanism of perception and mastery of the social environment occurs:
This theory has socio-psychological and age aspects of human formation.
The process of socialization sometimes changes significantly. This, as a rule, is associated with a person’s transition to a new stage of life, a new life cycle. A person has to relearn a lot: to move away from previous values, norms, roles, rules of behavior - (desocialization) by learning and assimilating new values, norms, roles, rules of behavior to replace the old ones (resocialization). All these subprocesses are included in the structure of the multifaceted mechanism of socialization.
Sociology studies socialization in different aspects: socialization of generations in specific historical conditions, individuals in certain socio-economic conditions, age socialization in the conditions of a particular society. But it will be more complete if we begin to study social phenomena from the conditions of their formation: natural, economic, cultural. This is the so-called evolutionary (complex) level of the socialization mechanism (Fig. 2. Factors in the formation of social relations).
Natural. Let's start with the fact that “social life” is a complex of phenomena that arise from the interaction of individuals and groups. “Publicity” manifests itself in both the plant and animal worlds. In plants, this is a natural process of evolution, adaptation to the environment, direct dependence on conditions, and there is no conscious action or intentions in them. An animal has connections, an awakening, which people also have, using the example of uncoordinated associations (cockroaches) of high-type cohesion (ants, bees, wolves, lions, monkeys). And since these connections are no longer determined by any factors, but only by natural ones, their influence on people can also be detected.
The initial foundations of social life are biological - these are the characteristics of the human body, biological needs, physiological processes. The main ones, thanks to which human culture was formed, are:
■ straight walking;
■ hands, fingers (until today a universal tool of human activity);
■ dependence of children on parents, care of the latter;
■ plasticity of needs, habits, developed adaptation;
■ stability and specificity of behavior (in particular, sexual "), connections.
There are various anthropological theories, according to which natural conditions are interpreted as the main factor in the development of society.
Geographical conditions- this is the second set of natural conditions. Man, as a “zoological species,” lives on land, where there is an influence of geographical conditions on its activities (relief, climatic and weather conditions). The specifics of these conditions reflect the placement of people, resettlement, and health status. (Example: comparison of the specific geographical and social conditions of the inhabitants of the tundra, desert, forest zone). There is a direction in sociological theory - geographical determinism, which explains the human psyche as a reaction to natural geographical conditions. (Example: comparison of the character of a Spaniard and a Swede). But man is a creative being, she changes, subordinates, adapts the environment. Dependence on geographical conditions was felt mainly only in primitive society. Therefore, the geographical environment, although it forms the basis, does not determine the course of social life.
Natural conditions also include demographic fundamentals: these are the phenomena of fertility, natural increase, population density; the relative composition of a certain type of population (youth, older people). All this affects economic and social processes and phenomena (production, standard of living). The demographic process also determines certain frameworks for social life. A rationally regulated and hygienically healthy population is an important factor in social development.
Social theories that study the problem of social development, the size and quality of population, are defined as the concept of demographic determinism. Natural conditions are a necessary basis for social life, but are not decisive.
Another group of conditions-factors of social life are economic conditions. As a biological source, man depends to a certain extent on nature, but this dependence is not decisive. Man is essentially a creator - he adapts, subordinates the elements of the natural environment, and works. The process of a person’s purposeful influence, during which he transforms elements of the natural environment into means of satisfying his needs, into material goods necessary for life, is called labor. This is a constant and necessary process, and therefore the production of material goods determines the basic processes of social life. In order to transform an element of nature into a specific and necessary, worthy form for use and consumption, a person brings into action all his natural forces: hands, fingers, head. Acting on nature, it also changes socially. The production process itself includes:
■ purposeful human activity;
■ the item that is being produced;
■ the instrument by which it is guided.
Tools of labor have been modified in historical development under the influence of man; The people who worked with these tools also changed. But the production process is not only a level of development; in this process, people interacted with each other and entered into certain relationships and interconnections. This is how production and economic relations were formed - a system of connections and dependencies in which people are engaged in the process of production, exchange, and consumption. Economic relations are the way in which people of a certain society produce their means of living and exchange products (since there is a division of labor). People, engaged in production, enter into certain social and political relations.
Production and economic relations were transformed onto a certain basis - the relationship of people to the instruments of production (form of ownership). In the process of historical and economic development, some mastered the means, others offered labor (physical strength, skill, knowledge). Hence the division of people into social classes and layers. Satisfaction with natural goods led to the formation of institutions of production, exchange and consumption, a certain system of relations, which, in turn, gave rise to various forms of community of people.
Cultural Basics- this is the third set of factors that determine the phenomena and processes of social life.
The influence of culture on social life is expressed, first of all, through the socialization and formation of an individual, as well as through the formation and development of each individual era in the process of historical development of society, which, in turn, determines the shade and nature of socialization. The place and role of the cultural phenomenon is most fully realized thanks to the important social functions that culture has performed and continues to perform in society. Each individual becomes a member of society, and most importantly, an individual, only in the process of socialization, thanks to the assimilation of knowledge, skills, abilities, language, values, norms, traditions, rules of behavior of his social group and the whole society as a whole. Culture consolidates, unites, integrates people, ensures the integrity of society.
Schematically, socialization can be depicted as a system “child - family - person”. It is in the family that the child acquires the first signs of social life. A person is formed in the process of education. The child learns, accepts and acquires certain traits, knowledge and skills.
The creation and introduction of a value system is another form of cultural influence. Culture establishes a system of values and defines criteria. This includes not only learning cultural norms and mastering social roles, but also the transmission from parents to children of social values, ideas about what is good and evil, good and bad, and the like. A person is primarily characterized by biological needs, and it satisfies them. In the further mechanism of satisfying needs, interests and values arise, because they are realized in different ways, means, methods - a choice is formed in interests and means.
In such situations, values come into play, a scale of values - those “objects” (material and spiritual) that provide a person with internal balance, or those that are necessary to satisfy needs and maintain internal balance. This is an important factor in behavior. Thanks to the hierarchy of values, a person shows his attitude, behaves, and reacts differently. A combination of her actions in various situations is created. Values are created and developed during the development of culture. They are acquired in social life - in the course of socialization. As a person develops, her value system is formed. A developed value system is the result of proper socialization. The value system determines the choice of means to satisfy needs, interests, and determines the direction of needs. And how the system of values is modified in different situations is recognized as “patterns” of actions and behavior established within a certain culture.
Patterns of activity and patterns of behavior are also elements of the mechanism of formation and functioning of social relations. Patterns of behavior are certain patterns of behavior used in certain situations, that is, “how one should behave and act in various conditions and situations.” A pattern of behavior expresses a certain regularity in the course of phenomena established and accepted in a given culture. This is an established pattern of social behavior. This is a desirable model associated with values that must be accepted. The accepted models become a style, a principle, and act in a certain way on the organization of human communities.
Ultimately, culture exerts an influential force on the formation of personality through the creation and functioning of social institutions and social systems. In the process of social development, forms of organizing the joint activities of people have historically been formed, according to which the latter, in the course of their life activities during mutual actions, use (and should) use accepted social norms and socio-cultural patterns that determine sustainable forms of social behavior. A person does not choose these norms and patterns, but consolidates them and acts according to them.
Socialization, the establishment of values, samples and models, institutional factors are the most important ways of influencing culture on the course of social life. Together with the economic foundations, it gives people symbols, values, defines, and also responds to needs, after satisfying basic biological needs. During socialization, the individual plays both a passive (assimilation of social experience, perception of values) and active role (formation of a certain system of orientation, attitudes).
The process of socialization in sociology is also considered as a dual process of the internal and external nature of an individual’s actions. Internality in human behavior is manifested in the transformation of external factors of the social environment into internal processes of consciousness and a person’s orientation towards external influencing life factors as a dominant. Externality turns out to be the objectification of a person’s external world in his practical activities, and the system of one’s own manifestations of conscious action with the external world is a dominant feature. Thus, culture is what is acquired by a person in the process of socialization. And socialization is how a person assimilates culture. It is both a mechanism and a process.
Topic 8. Natural factors in the development of society
| Parameter name | Meaning |
| Article topic: | Topic 8. Natural factors in the development of society |
| Rubric (thematic category) | Story |
The life of society takes place in a certain natural environment, and in this regard, the latter undoubtedly influences the development of society. This topic examines specific natural factors and conditions affecting society. Natural factors of one kind directly affect the life and health of people and, therefore, they are classified as environmental determinants. The natural conditions and factors on which the development of the productive forces of society depends include the geographical conditions of its existence (climate, soil, presence of minerals, forests, rivers, lakes, etc.).
The impact of geographical factors on society has been noted by many historians, geographers, politicians and statesmen. Sometimes this impact was so greatly exaggerated that the geographical environment acted as the main determinant of the development of society; such views are rightly characterized as geographical determinism. Population also affects the development of society and its productive forces, but if before the beginning of the 19th century population growth was assessed positively, then later some economists and sociologists began to see it as a negative factor.
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The most prominent exponents of such negative views were T. Malthus and his followers - the Malthusians. Criticizing their views, it should be shown that demographic processes are determined not so much by biological as by socio-economic factors.
Key questions for discussion. What is meant by geographic environment? What is the essence of geographical determinism? Describe C. Montesquieu's views on the role of the geographical environment. What new does G. Buckle bring to the understanding of the geographical environment? What role does L. I. Mechnikov assign to the natural environment and river civilizations? What is environmental determinism? What impact does population have on the development of society? What is T. Malthus's doctrine of population? How is the population factor assessed in the materialistic understanding of history?
Topic 8. Natural factors in the development of society - concept and types. Classification and features of the category “Topic 8. Natural factors in the development of society” 2017, 2018.
