Traditional society is characterized by the following features. Traditional society
The concept of traditional society covers the great agrarian civilizations of the Ancient East (Ancient India and Ancient China, Ancient Egypt and the medieval states of the Muslim East), the European states of the Middle Ages. In a number of countries in Asia and Africa, traditional society continues to exist today, but the collision with modern Western civilization has significantly changed its civilizational characteristics.
The basis of human life is labor, during which a person transforms the matter and energy of nature into items for his own consumption. In a traditional society, the basis of life activity is agricultural labor, the fruits of which provide a person with all the necessary means of life. However, manual agricultural labor using simple tools provided a person with only the most necessary things, and only under favorable weather conditions. The Three "Black Horsemen" terrified the European Middle Ages - famine, war and plague. Hunger is the most severe: there is no shelter from it. He left deep scars on the cultural brow of European peoples. Its echoes can be heard in folklore and epic, in the mournful drawl of folk chants. Most folk signs are about the weather and the prospects for the harvest. The dependence of a person in a traditional society on nature is reflected in the metaphors “nurse-earth”, “mother-earth” (“mother of the cheese earth”), expressing a loving and caring attitude towards nature as a source of life, from which one was not supposed to draw too much.
The farmer perceived nature as a living being that required a moral attitude towards itself. Therefore, a person in a traditional society is not a master, not a conqueror, and not a king of nature. He is a small fraction (microcosm) of the great cosmic whole, the universe. His work activity was subject to the eternal rhythms of nature (seasonal changes in weather, length of daylight hours) - such is the requirement of life itself on the border between the natural and the social. An ancient Chinese parable ridicules a farmer who dared to challenge traditional agriculture based on the rhythms of nature: trying to speed up the growth of cereals, he pulled them by the tops until he pulled them out by the roots.
A person’s attitude towards the subject of labor always presupposes his attitude towards another person. By appropriating this item in the process of labor or consumption, a person is included in the system of social relations of property and distribution. In the feudal society of the European Middle Ages, private ownership of land prevailed - the main wealth of agrarian civilizations. It corresponded to a type of social subordination called personal dependence. The concept of personal dependence characterizes the type of social connection between people belonging to various social classes of feudal society - the steps of the “feudal ladder”. The European feudal lord and the Asian despot were full masters of the bodies and souls of their subjects, and even owned them as property. This was the case in Russia before the abolition of serfdom. Personal addiction breeds non-economic forced labor based on personal power based on direct violence.
Traditional society has developed forms of everyday resistance to the exploitation of labor on the basis of non-economic coercion: refusal to work for a master (corvée), evasion of payment in kind (quitrent) or monetary tax, escape from one’s master, which undermined the social basis of traditional society - the relationship of personal dependence.
People of the same social class or estate (peasants of the territorial-neighboring community, the German mark, members of the noble assembly, etc.) were bound by relationships of solidarity, trust and collective responsibility. The peasant community and city craft corporations jointly bore feudal duties. Communal peasants survived together in lean years: supporting a neighbor with a “piece” was considered the norm of life. Narodniks, describing “going to the people,” note such traits of the people’s character as compassion, collectivism and readiness for self-sacrifice. Traditional society has formed high moral qualities: collectivism, mutual assistance and social responsibility, which are included in the treasury of civilizational achievements of mankind.
A person in a traditional society did not feel like an individual opposing or competing with others. On the contrary, he perceived himself as an integral part of his village, community, polis. The German sociologist M. Weber noted that a Chinese peasant who settled in the city did not break ties with the rural church community, and in Ancient Greece, expulsion from the polis was equated with the death penalty (hence the word “outcast”). The man of the Ancient East completely subordinated himself to the clan and caste standards of social group life and “dissolved” in them. Respect for traditions has long been considered the main value of ancient Chinese humanism.
The social status of a person in traditional society was determined not by personal merit, but by social origin. The rigidity of the class and class barriers of traditional society kept it unchanged throughout his life. People to this day say: “It was written in the family.” The idea that one cannot escape fate, inherent in the traditionalist consciousness, has formed a type of contemplative personality, whose creative efforts are directed not at remaking life, but at spiritual well-being. I. A. Goncharov, with brilliant artistic insight, captured such a psychological type in the image of I. I. Oblomov. "Fate", i.e. social predestination, is a key metaphor in ancient Greek tragedies. Sophocles' tragedy "Oedipus the King" tells the story of the titanic efforts of the hero to avoid the terrible fate predicted for him, however, despite all his exploits, evil fate triumphs.
The daily life of traditional society was remarkably stable. It was regulated not so much by laws as tradition - a set of unwritten rules, patterns of activity, behavior and communication that embody the experience of ancestors. In the traditionalist consciousness, it was believed that the “golden age” was already behind, and the gods and heroes left examples of actions and exploits that should be imitated. People's social habits have remained virtually unchanged for many generations. The organization of everyday life, methods of housekeeping and norms of communication, holiday rituals, ideas about illness and death - in a word, everything that we call everyday life was brought up in the family and passed on from generation to generation. Many generations of people have experienced the same social structures, ways of doing things, and social habits. Submission to tradition explains the high stability of traditional societies with their stagnant patriarchal cycle of life and the extremely slow pace of social development.
The stability of traditional societies, many of which (especially in the Ancient East) remained virtually unchanged for centuries, was also facilitated by the public authority of the supreme power. Often she was directly identified with the personality of the king (“The State is me”). The public authority of the earthly ruler was also nourished by religious ideas about the divine origin of his power (“The Sovereign is God’s vicegerent on earth”), although history knows few cases when the head of state personally became the head of the church (the Anglican Church). The personification of political and spiritual power in one person (theocracy) ensured the dual subordination of man to both the state and the church, which gave traditional society even greater stability.
Society as a complex entity is very diverse in its specific manifestations. Modern societies differ in language of communication (for example, English-speaking countries, Spanish-speaking countries, etc.), culture (societies of ancient, medieval, Arabic, etc. cultures), geographical location (northern, southern, Asian, etc. countries) , political system (countries with democratic rule, countries with dictatorial regimes, etc.). Societies also differ in the level of stability, degree of social integration, opportunities for personal self-realization, level of education of the population, etc.
Universal classifications of the most typical societies are based on identifying their main parameters. One of the main directions in the typology of society is the choice of political relations, forms of state power as the basis for identifying different types of society. For example, in Plato and Aristotle, societies differ in the type of government: monarchy, tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy. Modern versions of this approach distinguish between totalitarian (the state determines all the main directions of social life), democratic (the population can influence government structures) and authoritarian societies (combining elements of totalitarianism and democracy).
Marxism bases the typology of society on the differences in society according to the type of production relations in various socio-economic formations, primitive communal society (primitively appropriating mode of production), societies with the Asian mode of production (the presence of a special type of collective ownership of land), slaveholding societies (ownership of people and the use of slave labor), feudal societies (exploitation of peasants attached to the land), communist or socialist societies (equal treatment of all in ownership of the means of production through the elimination of private property relations).
The most stable typology in modern sociology is the one based on the identification of egalitarian and stratified societies, traditional, industrial and post-industrial. Traditional society is classified as egalitarian.
1.1 Traditional society
Traditional society is a society that is regulated by tradition. Preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development. The social structure in it is characterized by a rigid class hierarchy, the existence of stable social communities (especially in Eastern countries), and a special way of regulating the life of society, based on traditions and customs. This organization of society strives to preserve the socio-cultural foundations of life unchanged. Traditional society is an agrarian society.
A traditional society is usually characterized by:
Traditional economics
The predominance of the agricultural structure;
Structure stability;
Estate organization;
Low mobility;
High mortality;
High birth rate;
Low life expectancy.
A traditional person perceives the world and the established order of life as something inextricably integral, sacred and not subject to change. A person’s place in society and his status are determined by tradition (usually by birthright).
In a traditional society, collectivist attitudes predominate, individualism is not encouraged (since freedom of individual action can lead to a violation of the established order, time-tested). In general, traditional societies are characterized by the primacy of collective interests over private ones, including the primacy of the interests of existing hierarchical structures (state, clan, etc.). What is valued is not so much individual capacity as the place in the hierarchy (official, class, clan, etc.) that a person occupies.
In a traditional society, as a rule, relations of redistribution rather than market exchange predominate, and elements of a market economy are strictly regulated. This is due to the fact that free market relations increase social mobility and change the social structure of society (in particular, they destroy class); the redistribution system may be regulated by tradition, but market prices are not; forced redistribution prevents “unauthorized” enrichment/impoverishment of both individuals and classes. The pursuit of economic gain in traditional society is often morally condemned and opposed to selfless help.
In a traditional society, most people live their entire lives in a local community (for example, a village), and connections with the larger society are rather weak. At the same time, family ties, on the contrary, are very strong.
The worldview (ideology) of a traditional society is determined by tradition and authority.
Traditional society is extremely stable. As the famous demographer and sociologist Anatoly Vishnevsky writes, “everything in it is interconnected and it is very difficult to remove or change any one element.”
Opinions about the need (and extent) of transformation of traditional society differ significantly. For example, the philosopher A. Dugin considers it necessary to abandon the principles of modern society and return to the golden age of traditionalism. Sociologist and demographer A. Vishnevsky argues that traditional society “has no chance,” although it “fiercely resists.” According to the calculations of Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Professor A. Nazaretyan, in order to completely abandon development and return society to a static state, the number of humanity must be reduced by several hundred times.
TOPIC: Traditional society
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………..3-4
1. Typology of societies in modern science…………………………….5-7
2. General characteristics of traditional society…………………….8-10
3. Development of traditional society……………………………………11-15
4.Transformation of traditional society……………………………16-17
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………..18-19
LITERATURE…………………………………………………………….20
Introduction.
The relevance of the problem of traditional society is dictated by global changes in the worldview of mankind. Civilization studies today are especially acute and problematic. The world oscillates between prosperity and poverty, the individual and the number, the infinite and the particular. Man is still looking for the authentic, the lost and the hidden. There is a “tired” generation of meanings, self-isolation and endless waiting: waiting for light from the West, good weather from the South, cheap goods from China and oil profits from the North. Modern society requires proactive young people who are able to find “themselves” and their place in life, restore Russian spiritual culture, morally stable, socially adapted, capable of self-development and continuous self-improvement. The basic structures of personality are formed in the first years of life. This means that the family has a special responsibility for instilling such qualities in the younger generation. And this problem is becoming especially relevant at this modern stage.
Emerging naturally, “evolutionary” human culture includes an important element - a system of social relations based on solidarity and mutual assistance. Many studies, and even everyday experience, show that people became human precisely because they overcame selfishness and showed altruism that goes far beyond short-term rational calculations. And that the main motives for such behavior are irrational in nature and associated with ideals and movements of the soul - we see this at every step.
The culture of a traditional society is based on the concept of “people” - as a transpersonal community with historical memory and collective consciousness. An individual person, an element of such people and society, is a “conciliar personality”, the focus of many human connections. He is always included in solidarity groups (families, village and church communities, work collectives, even gangs of thieves - operating on the principle “One for all, all for one”). Accordingly, the prevailing relationships in traditional society are those of service, duty, love, care and coercion. There are also acts of exchange, for the most part, which do not have the nature of free and equivalent purchase and sale (exchange of equal values) - the market regulates only a small part of traditional social relations. Therefore, the general, all-encompassing metaphor for social life in a traditional society is “family” and not, for example, “market”. Modern scientists believe that 2/3 of the world's population, to a greater or lesser extent, has features of traditional societies in their lifestyle. What are traditional societies, when did they arise and what characterizes their culture?
The purpose of this work: to give a general description and study the development of traditional society.
Based on the goal, the following tasks were set:
Consider different ways of typology of societies;
Describe traditional society;
Give an idea of the development of traditional society;
Identify problems of transformation of traditional society.
1. Typology of societies in modern science.
In modern sociology, there are various ways of typifying societies, and all of them are legitimate from certain points of view.
There are, for example, two main types of society: firstly, pre-industrial society, or the so-called traditional one, which is based on the peasant community. This type of society still covers most of Africa, a significant part of Latin America, most of the East and dominated until the 19th century in Europe. Secondly, modern industrial-urban society. The so-called Euro-American society belongs to it; and the rest of the world is gradually catching up to it.
Another division of societies is possible. Societies can be divided along political lines - into totalitarian and democratic. In the first societies, society itself does not act as an independent subject of social life, but serves the interests of the state. The second societies are characterized by the fact that, on the contrary, the state serves the interests of civil society, individuals and public associations (at least ideally).
It is possible to distinguish types of societies according to the dominant religion: Christian society, Islamic, Orthodox, etc. Finally, societies are distinguished by the dominant language: English-speaking, Russian-speaking, French-speaking, etc. You can also distinguish societies based on ethnicity: single-national, binational, multinational.
One of the main types of typology of societies is the formational approach.
According to the formational approach, the most important relations in society are property and class relations. The following types of socio-economic formations can be distinguished: primitive communal, slaveholding, feudal, capitalist and communist (includes two phases - socialism and communism).
None of the named main theoretical points underlying the theory of formations is now indisputable. The theory of socio-economic formations is not only based on the theoretical conclusions of the mid-19th century, but because of this it cannot explain many of the contradictions that have arisen:
· the existence, along with zones of progressive (ascending) development, of zones of backwardness, stagnation and dead ends;
· transformation of the state - in one form or another - into an important factor in social production relations; modification and modification of classes;
· the emergence of a new hierarchy of values with the priority of universal values over class values.
The most modern is another division of society, which was put forward by the American sociologist Daniel Bell. He distinguishes three stages in the development of society. The first stage is a pre-industrial, agricultural, conservative society, closed to outside influences, based on natural production. The second stage is an industrial society, which is based on industrial production, developed market relations, democracy and openness. Finally, in the second half of the twentieth century, the third stage begins - post-industrial society, which is characterized by the use of the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution; sometimes it is called the information society, because the main thing is no longer the production of a specific material product, but the production and processing of information. An indicator of this stage is the spread of computer technology, the unification of the entire society into a single information system in which ideas and thoughts are freely distributed. The leading requirement in such a society is the requirement to respect so-called human rights.
From this point of view, different parts of modern humanity are at different stages of development. Until now, maybe half of humanity is at the first stage. And the other part is going through the second stage of development. And only a minority - Europe, the USA, Japan - entered the third stage of development. Russia is now in a state of transition from the second stage to the third.
2. General characteristics of traditional society
Traditional society is a concept that focuses in its content a set of ideas about the pre-industrial stage of human development, characteristic of traditional sociology and cultural studies. There is no single theory of traditional society. Ideas about traditional society are based, rather, on its understanding as a socio-cultural model that is asymmetrical to modern society, rather than on a generalization of the real facts of life of peoples not engaged in industrial production. The dominance of subsistence farming is considered characteristic of the economy of a traditional society. In this case, commodity relations are either absent altogether or are focused on meeting the needs of a small layer of the social elite. The basic principle of the organization of social relations is the rigid hierarchical stratification of society, as a rule, manifested in the division into endogamous castes. At the same time, the main form of organization of social relations for the vast majority of the population is a relatively closed, isolated community. The latter circumstance dictates the dominance of collectivist social ideas, focused on strict adherence to traditional norms of behavior and excluding individual freedom, as well as an understanding of its value. Together with caste division, this feature almost completely excludes the possibility of social mobility. Political power is monopolized within a separate group (caste, clan, family) and exists primarily in authoritarian forms. A characteristic feature of a traditional society is considered to be either the complete absence of writing, or its existence in the form of a privilege of certain groups (officials, priests). At the same time, writing quite often develops in a language different from the spoken language of the vast majority of the population (Latin in medieval Europe, Arabic in the Middle East, Chinese writing in the Far East). Therefore, intergenerational transmission of culture is carried out in verbal, folklore form, and the main institution of socialization is the family and community. The consequence of this was extreme variability in the culture of the same ethnic group, manifested in local and dialect differences.
Traditional societies include ethnic communities, which are characterized by communal settlements, the preservation of blood and family ties, and predominantly craft and agricultural forms of labor. The emergence of such societies dates back to the earliest stages of human development, to primitive culture.
Any society from the primitive community of hunters to the industrial revolution of the late 18th century can be called a traditional society.
A traditional society is a society that is governed by tradition. Preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development. The social structure in it is characterized (especially in Eastern countries) by a rigid class hierarchy and the existence of stable social communities, a special way of regulating the life of society, based on traditions and customs. This organization of society strives to preserve the socio-cultural foundations of life unchanged. Traditional society is an agrarian society.
A traditional society is usually characterized by:
· traditional economy - an economic system in which the use of natural resources is determined primarily by traditions. Traditional industries predominate - agriculture, resource extraction, trade, construction; non-traditional industries receive virtually no development;
· predominance of the agricultural way of life;
· structural stability;
· class organization;
· low mobility;
· high mortality rate;
· high birth rate;
· low life expectancy.
A traditional person perceives the world and the established order of life as something inextricably integral, sacred and not subject to change. A person’s place in society and his status are determined by tradition (usually by birthright).
In a traditional society, collectivist attitudes predominate, individualism is not welcomed (since freedom of individual action can lead to a violation of the established order). In general, traditional societies are characterized by the primacy of collective interests over private ones, including the primacy of the interests of existing hierarchical structures (state, clan, etc.). What is valued is not so much individual capacity as the place in the hierarchy (official, class, clan, etc.) that a person occupies.
In a traditional society, as a rule, relations of redistribution rather than market exchange predominate, and elements of a market economy are strictly regulated. This is due to the fact that free market relations increase social mobility and change the social structure of society (in particular, they destroy class); the redistribution system may be regulated by tradition, but market prices are not; forced redistribution prevents “unauthorized” enrichment and impoverishment of both individuals and classes. The pursuit of economic gain in traditional society is often morally condemned and opposed to selfless help.
In a traditional society, most people live their entire lives in a local community (for example, a village), and connections with the “big society” are rather weak. At the same time, family ties, on the contrary, are very strong.
The worldview of a traditional society is determined by tradition and authority.
3.Development of traditional society
Economically, traditional society is based on agriculture. Moreover, such a society can be not only land-owning, like the society of ancient Egypt, China or medieval Rus', but also based on cattle breeding, like all the nomadic steppe powers of Eurasia (Turkic and Khazar Khaganates, the empire of Genghis Khan, etc.). And even when fishing in the exceptionally fish-rich coastal waters of Southern Peru (in pre-Columbian America).
Characteristic of a pre-industrial traditional society is the dominance of redistributive relations (i.e. distribution in accordance with the social position of each), which can be expressed in a variety of forms: the centralized state economy of ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia, medieval China; Russian peasant community, where redistribution is expressed in regular redistribution of land according to the number of eaters, etc. However, one should not think that redistribution is the only possible way of economic life in a traditional society. It dominates, but the market in one form or another always exists, and in exceptional cases it can even acquire a leading role (the most striking example is the economy of the ancient Mediterranean). But, as a rule, market relations are limited to a narrow range of goods, most often items of prestige: the medieval European aristocracy, receiving everything they needed on their estates, bought mainly jewelry, spices, expensive weapons, thoroughbred horses, etc.
Socially, traditional society is much more strikingly different from our modern one. The most characteristic feature of this society is the rigid attachment of each person to the system of redistributive relations, an attachment that is purely personal. This is manifested in the inclusion of everyone in any collective that carries out this redistribution, and in the dependence of each on the “elders” (by age, origin, social status) who stand “at the boiler”. Moreover, the transition from one team to another is extremely difficult; social mobility in this society is very low. At the same time, not only the position of the class in the social hierarchy is valuable, but also the very fact of belonging to it. Here we can give specific examples - caste and class systems of stratification.
Caste (as in traditional Indian society, for example) is a closed group of people occupying a strictly defined place in society. This place is delineated by many factors or signs, the main of which are:
· traditionally inherited profession, occupation;
· endogamy, i.e. the obligation to marry only within one’s caste;
· ritual purity (after contact with “lower” ones, it is necessary to undergo a whole purification procedure).
An estate is a social group with hereditary rights and responsibilities enshrined in customs and laws. The feudal society of medieval Europe, in particular, was divided into three main classes: the clergy (symbol - book), knighthood (symbol - sword) and peasantry (symbol - plough). In Russia before the revolution of 1917 there were six estates. These are nobles, clergy, merchants, townspeople, peasants, Cossacks.
The regulation of class life was extremely strict, down to small circumstances and insignificant details. Thus, according to the “Charter Granted to Cities” of 1785, Russian merchants of the first guild could travel around the city in a carriage drawn by a pair of horses, and merchants of the second guild - only in a carriage drawn by a pair. The class division of society, as well as the caste division, was sanctified and reinforced by religion: everyone has their own destiny, their own destiny, their own corner on this earth. Stay where God has placed you; exaltation is a manifestation of pride, one of the seven (according to medieval classification) deadly sins.
Another important criterion of social division can be called community in the broadest sense of the word. This refers not only to the neighboring peasant community, but also to a craft guild, a merchant guild in Europe or a merchant union in the East, a monastic or knightly order, a Russian cenobitic monastery, thieves' or beggar's corporations. The Hellenic polis can be considered not so much as a city-state, but as a civil community. A person outside the community is an outcast, rejected, suspicious, enemy. Therefore, expulsion from the community was one of the most terrible punishments in any agrarian society. A person was born, lived and died tied to his place of residence, occupation, environment, exactly repeating the lifestyle of his ancestors and being absolutely confident that his children and grandchildren would follow the same path.
Relationships and connections between people in traditional society were thoroughly permeated with personal devotion and dependence, which is quite understandable. At that level of technological development, only direct contacts, personal involvement, and individual involvement could ensure the movement of knowledge, skills, and abilities from teacher to student, from master to apprentice. This movement, we note, took the form of transferring secrets, secrets, and recipes. Thus, a certain social problem was solved. Thus, the oath, which in the Middle Ages symbolically ritually sealed the relationship between vassals and lords, in its own way equalized the parties involved, giving their relationship a shade of simple patronage of father to son.
The political structure of the vast majority of pre-industrial societies is determined more by tradition and custom than by written law. Power could be justified by its origin, the scale of controlled distribution (land, food, and finally water in the East) and supported by divine sanction (this is why the role of sacralization, and often direct deification of the figure of the ruler, is so high).
Most often, the political system of society was, of course, monarchical. And even in the republics of antiquity and the Middle Ages, real power, as a rule, belonged to representatives of a few noble families and was based on the above principles. As a rule, traditional societies are characterized by the merging of the phenomena of power and property with the determining role of power, that is, those with greater power also had real control over a significant part of the property at the aggregate disposal of society. For a typically pre-industrial society (with rare exceptions), power is property.
The cultural life of traditional societies was decisively influenced by the justification of power by tradition and the conditioning of all social relations by class, community and power structures. Traditional society is characterized by what could be called gerontocracy: the older, the smarter, the more ancient, the more perfect, the deeper, the true.
Traditional society is holistic. It is built or organized as a rigid whole. And not just as a whole, but as a clearly prevailing, dominant whole.
The collective represents a socio-ontological, rather than a value-normative, reality. It becomes the latter when it begins to be understood and accepted as a common good. Being also holistic in its essence, the common good hierarchically completes the value system of traditional society. Along with other values, it ensures a person’s unity with other people, gives meaning to his individual existence, and guarantees a certain psychological comfort.
In antiquity, the common good was identified with the needs and development trends of the polis. A polis is a city or society-state. The man and the citizen coincided in him. The polis horizon of ancient man was both political and ethical. Outside of it, nothing interesting was expected - just barbarism. The Greek, a citizen of the polis, perceived state goals as his own, saw his own good in the good of the state. He pinned his hopes for justice, freedom, peace and happiness on the polis and its existence.
In the Middle Ages, God appeared as the common and highest good. He is the source of everything good, valuable and worthy in this world. Man himself was created in his image and likeness. All power on earth comes from God. God is the ultimate goal of all human endeavors. The highest good that a sinful person is capable of on earth is love for God, service to Christ. Christian love is a special love: God-fearing, suffering, ascetic and humble. In her self-forgetfulness there is a lot of contempt for herself, for worldly joys and conveniences, achievements and successes. In itself, a person’s earthly life in its religious interpretation is devoid of any value and purpose.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, with its communal-collective way of life, the common good took on the form of a Russian idea. Its most popular formula included three values: Orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality.
The historical existence of traditional society is characterized by its slowness. The boundaries between the historical stages of “traditional” development are barely distinguishable, there are no sharp shifts or radical shocks.
The productive forces of traditional society developed slowly, in the rhythm of cumulative evolutionism. There was no what economists call deferred demand, i.e. the ability to produce not for immediate needs, but for the future. Traditional society took from nature exactly as much as it needed, and nothing more. Its economy could be called environmentally friendly.
4. Transformation of traditional society
Traditional society is extremely stable. As the famous demographer and sociologist Anatoly Vishnevsky writes, “everything in it is interconnected and it is very difficult to remove or change any one element.”
In ancient times, changes in traditional society occurred extremely slowly - over generations, almost imperceptibly for an individual. Periods of accelerated development also occurred in traditional societies (a striking example is the changes in the territory of Eurasia in the 1st millennium BC), but even during such periods, changes were carried out slowly by modern standards, and upon their completion, society again returned to a relatively static state with a predominance of cyclic dynamics.
At the same time, since ancient times there have been societies that cannot be called completely traditional. The departure from traditional society was associated, as a rule, with the development of trade. This category includes Greek city-states, medieval self-governing trading cities, England and Holland of the 16th-17th centuries. Ancient Rome (before the 3rd century AD) with its civil society stands apart.
The rapid and irreversible transformation of traditional society began to occur only in the 18th century as a result of the industrial revolution. By now, this process has captured almost the entire world.
Rapid changes and departure from traditions can be experienced by a traditional person as a collapse of guidelines and values, loss of the meaning of life, etc. Since adaptation to new conditions and a change in the nature of activity are not included in the strategy of a traditional person, the transformation of society often leads to the marginalization of part of the population.
The most painful transformation of traditional society occurs in cases where the dismantled traditions have a religious justification. At the same time, resistance to change can take the form of religious fundamentalism.
During the period of transformation of a traditional society, authoritarianism may increase in it (either in order to preserve traditions, or in order to overcome resistance to change).
The transformation of traditional society ends with the demographic transition. The generation that grew up in small families has a psychology that differs from the psychology of a traditional person.
Opinions about the need to transform traditional society differ significantly. For example, the philosopher A. Dugin considers it necessary to abandon the principles of modern society and return to the “golden age” of traditionalism. Sociologist and demographer A. Vishnevsky argues that traditional society “has no chance,” although it “fiercely resists.” According to the calculations of Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Professor A. Nazaretyan, in order to completely abandon development and return society to a static state, the number of humanity must be reduced by several hundred times.
Based on the work carried out, the following conclusions were made.
Traditional societies are characterized by the following features:
· Predominantly agricultural mode of production, understanding land ownership not as property, but as land use. The type of relationship between society and nature is built not on the principle of victory over it, but on the idea of merging with it;
· The basis of the economic system is communal-state forms of ownership with weak development of the institution of private property. Preservation of communal way of life and communal land use;
· Patronage system of distribution of the product of labor in the community (redistribution of land, mutual assistance in the form of gifts, marriage gifts, etc., regulation of consumption);
· The level of social mobility is low, the boundaries between social communities (castes, classes) are stable. Ethnic, clan, caste differentiation of societies in contrast to late industrial societies with class divisions;
· Preservation in everyday life of combinations of polytheistic and monotheistic ideas, the role of ancestors, orientation to the past;
· The main regulator of social life is tradition, custom, adherence to the norms of life of previous generations. The huge role of ritual and etiquette. Of course, “traditional society” significantly limits scientific and technological progress, has a pronounced tendency to stagnation, and does not consider the autonomous development of a free personality as the most important value. But Western civilization, having achieved impressive successes, is now faced with a number of very difficult problems: ideas about the possibilities of unlimited industrial and scientific and technological growth have turned out to be untenable; the balance of nature and society is disrupted; The pace of technological progress is unsustainable and threatens a global environmental catastrophe. Many scientists pay attention to the merits of traditional thinking with its emphasis on adaptation to nature, the perception of the human person as part of the natural and social whole.
Only a traditional way of life can be opposed to the aggressive influence of modern culture and the civilizational model exported from the West. For Russia there is no other way out of the crisis in the spiritual and moral sphere other than the revival of the original Russian civilization based on the traditional values of national culture. And this is possible subject to the restoration of the spiritual, moral and intellectual potential of the bearer of Russian culture - the Russian people
LITERATURE.
1. Irkhin Yu.V. Textbook “Sociology of Culture” 2006.
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4. Levikova S.I. West and East. Traditions and modernity. - M., 1993.
Society is a complex natural-historical structure, the elements of which are people. Their connections and relationships are determined by a certain social status, the functions and roles they perform, the norms and values generally accepted in a given system, as well as their individual qualities. Society is usually divided into three types: traditional, industrial and post-industrial. Each of them has its own distinctive features and functions.
This article will look at traditional society (definition, characteristics, basics, examples, etc.).
What it is?
A modern industrialist, new to history and social science, may not understand what a “traditional society” is. We will consider the definition of this concept further.
Operates on the basis of traditional values. It is often perceived as tribal, primitive and backward feudal. It is a society with an agrarian structure, with sedentary structures and with methods of social and cultural regulation based on traditions. It is believed that for most of its history, humanity was at this stage.
Traditional society, the definition of which is discussed in this article, is a collection of groups of people at different stages of development and without a mature industrial complex. The determining factor in the development of such social units is agriculture.
Characteristics of a traditional society
A traditional society is characterized by the following features:
1. Low production rates, satisfying people's needs at a minimum level.
2. High energy intensity.
3. Failure to accept innovations.
4. Strict regulation and control of the behavior of people, social structures, institutions, and customs.
5. As a rule, in a traditional society any manifestation of personal freedom is prohibited.
6. Social formations, sanctified by traditions, are considered unshakable - even the thought of their possible changes is perceived as criminal.
Traditional society is considered agrarian, as it is based on agriculture. Its functioning depends on the cultivation of crops using a plow and draft animals. Thus, the same piece of land could be cultivated several times, resulting in permanent settlements.
Traditional society is also characterized by the predominant use of manual labor and the extensive absence of market forms of trade (the predominance of exchange and redistribution). This led to the enrichment of individuals or classes.
The forms of ownership in such structures are, as a rule, collective. Any manifestations of individualism are not accepted and rejected by society, and are also considered dangerous, as they violate the established order and traditional balance. There is no impetus for the development of science and culture, so extensive technologies are used in all areas.
Political structure
The political sphere in such a society is characterized by authoritarian power, which is inherited. This is explained by the fact that only in this way can traditions be maintained for a long time. The management system in such a society was quite primitive (hereditary power was in the hands of the elders). The people actually had no influence on politics.
Often there is an idea about the divine origin of the person in whose hands the power was. In this regard, politics is actually completely subordinated to religion and is carried out only according to sacred instructions. The combination of secular and spiritual power made possible the increasing subordination of people to the state. This, in turn, strengthened the stability of a traditional type of society.
Social relations
In the sphere of social relations, the following features of traditional society can be distinguished:
1. Patriarchal structure.
2. The main purpose of the functioning of such a society is to maintain human life and avoid its extinction as a species.
3. Low level
4. Traditional society is characterized by division into classes. Each of them played a different social role.
5. Personality assessment in terms of the place that people occupy in the hierarchical structure.
6. A person does not feel like an individual; he considers only his belonging to a certain group or community.
Spiritual realm
In the spiritual sphere, traditional society is characterized by deep religiosity and moral principles instilled from childhood. Certain rituals and dogmas were an integral part of human life. Writing as such did not exist in traditional society. That is why all legends and traditions were transmitted orally.
Relationships with nature and the environment
The influence of traditional society on nature was primitive and insignificant. This was explained by low-waste production represented by cattle breeding and agriculture. Also, in some societies there were certain religious rules condemning the pollution of nature.
It was closed in relation to the outside world. Traditional society did its best to protect itself from outside invasions and any external influence. As a result, man perceived life as static and unchanging. Qualitative changes in such societies occurred very slowly, and revolutionary changes were perceived extremely painfully.
Traditional and industrial society: differences
Industrial society arose in the 18th century, primarily in England and France.
Some of its distinctive features should be highlighted.
1. Creation of large machine production.
2. Standardization of parts and assemblies of various mechanisms. This made mass production possible.
3. Another important distinguishing feature is urbanization (the growth of cities and the resettlement of a significant part of the population on their territory).
4. Division of labor and its specialization.
Traditional and industrial societies have significant differences. The first is characterized by a natural division of labor. Traditional values and patriarchal structure prevail here, and there is no mass production.
Post-industrial society should also be highlighted. Traditional, in contrast, aims to extract natural resources, rather than collect information and store it.
Examples of Traditional Society: China
Vivid examples of a traditional type of society can be found in the East in the Middle Ages and modern times. Among them, India, China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire should be highlighted.
Since ancient times, China has been distinguished by strong state power. By the nature of evolution, this society is cyclical. China is characterized by a constant alternation of several eras (development, crisis, social explosion). It should also be noted the unity of spiritual and religious authorities in this country. According to tradition, the emperor received the so-called “Mandate of Heaven” - divine permission to rule.
Japan
The development of Japan in the Middle Ages also suggests that there was a traditional society here, the definition of which is discussed in this article. The entire population of the Land of the Rising Sun was divided into 4 estates. The first is the samurai, daimyo and shogun (personified the highest secular power). They occupied a privileged position and had the right to bear arms. The second estate were peasants who owned land as a hereditary holding. The third is artisans and the fourth is merchants. It should be noted that trade in Japan was considered an unworthy activity. It is also worth highlighting the strict regulation of each class.
Unlike other traditional eastern countries, in Japan there was no unity of supreme secular and spiritual authority. The first was personified by the shogun. In his hands was most of the lands and enormous power. There was also an emperor (tenno) in Japan. He was the personification of spiritual power.
India
Vivid examples of a traditional type of society can be found in India throughout the country's history. The Mughal Empire, located on the Hindustan Peninsula, was based on a military fief and caste system. The supreme ruler - the padishah - was the main owner of all the land in the state. Indian society was strictly divided into castes, whose lives were strictly regulated by laws and sacred regulations.
What characterizes a traditional society?
Traditional society is a society that is regulated by tradition. Preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development. The social structure in it is characterized (especially in Eastern countries) by a rigid class hierarchy and the existence of stable social communities, a special way of regulating the life of society, based on traditions and customs. This organization of society strives to preserve the socio-cultural foundations of life unchanged. Traditional society is an agrarian society.
Traditional society is characterized by the following features:
1. Dependence of the organization of social life on religious or mythological ideas.
2. Cyclical, not progressive development.
3. The collectivist nature of society and the lack of personal beginnings.
4. Predominant orientation towards metaphysical rather than instrumental values.
5. Authoritarian nature of power.
Lack of ability to produce not for immediate needs, but for the sake of the future.
6. The predominant distribution of people with a special mental make-up: inactive individuals.
7. The predominance of tradition over innovation.