Theories of Social Evolution Herbert Spencer versus Franz Boaz
Herbert Spencer and Franz Boaz had two opposing theories on the social evolution
theory. Each theory was difficult to prove but great theories. But both theories had it's ups and
downs.
Herbert Spencer was born in England, he is best known for developing and applying the
evolutionary theory to philosophy and psychology. The evolutionary theory states that societies
go from simple societies to complex societies. The more complex a society is the more evolved
they are.
A complex society is more civilized with different social levels of politics, such as slaves
and kings. He proclaimed, "Only the strongest survives.". Spencer explained a king is the ruler
of everyone because he is the strongest. The different social levels caused a complex society to
be more competitive, thus progressive.
A simple society, consisting of hunters and gathers, are considered less evolved, thus
weaker then those of a complex society. A simple society was said to consist of all equal ...
compromise of the two theories. There was also some debate over the power of the
... of that era. He saw that all can be corrupted by power and that no group for that reason should be better than another.
that ll the power was contained in himself. So he did a very clever thing, he took
These now settled groups progressed into the Archaic period and began advancing into a more complex society. These archaic settlements developed culture and technology that was shared with neighboring settled groups. The exchange of ideas between these groups formed into a shared culture that began developing into a culturally distinct people.
...r a classless, productive, industrial society that was beneficial to all, the mere recognition of strength in numbers and class solidarity were fundamentally effective and paved the way not only for future governments but for future laborers.
After paraphrasing the text, the reader can define the term “civilization” as something representing a new type of society due to the high rate of productivity caused by Agricultural Revolution. Along with this newfound “civilization” came positive and negative effects that affected the way the society grew (or diminished). Every society has its on issues, specifically speaking, within this time period, sexism, slavery, illness, degradation of the environment, and economic inequality. Inequality seemed to be based on the same terms of to...
The first of the faults in the social structure of the society is the difference
To begin, theories change in different ways. For example, theories change if facts are found to be incorrect, maybe something was not thought out enough, and if any of the trials fail. In 460-370 B.C some scientists were to believe that atoms were completely solid because atoms were so small they couldn’t split. In 500 B.C Leucippus and Democritus proposed that all matter is composed of tiny particles called atoms that can't be split into smaller pieces. In 1821 Michael Faraday discovered electricity by carrying a wire with an electric current to a magnetic pole and then the wire rotated. Also, in 1930-2006 scientists decided that Pluto was not a planet but was a dwarf planet and the reason why Pluto is no longer a planet is because astronomers
Alexander the Great grew up seeing his father conquering what seemed to be everything within reach. This amazing feat instilled the mentality that someone who is “strong” can conquer everything (lecture). Exposed to his father’s achievements as a child, coupled with the teachings of the famous phil...
...y. While understanding that Master Morality and Slave Morality are just the basis of what makes up all Morals and just as though our values where made of interchangeable parts we mix and match what feels right and what works for us as individuals. These basic morals that we tend to identify with will dictate how we align ourselves politically, socially, and religiously; because there is not a true ruling class or ruled class it is difficult to see the blurred lines that separate us morally. This is a product of our Democratic government that ensures our freedoms to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness but in turn does allow there to be such a dramatic difference between the wealthiest and the poorest of people. The system is not perfect but what makes it wonderful is the ability to adapt and change with the times and to improve itself for the benefit of all.
I believe that the environment deiced whether a society will or will not have technology, militaristic and farming abilities imbedded within the society. That will give an advantage so that one society is better equipped than others.
Societies are widely portrayed across literature as groups of people living together in an organized community while sharing a similar culture. However, not all societies have developed properly to be classified as civilized. A civilized society is one that has been brought to a stage of social, cultural, and moral development, causing it to be considered more advanced. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, author Chinua Achebe depicts the Ibo society as civilized through their egwugwu justice system, worshipping of a spiritual Oracle, and patriarchal dominance.
The first anthropologist who argue against the cultural evolution is Franz Boas. Although Boas was born in Germany he did most of his work in the United States. He was the first person to identify the four field approach. He believed that anthropology can fall under cultural, linguistic, archeology and biology. This is important because it gives people who going to be in the field something to focus on instead of it being broad. Besides that another important contribution he did was the historical particularism theory. This theory discusses that each society has its own historical progress creating cultural uniqueness. These unique cultures should be understood in its own cultural and environmental context (book2. p.106). I was ecstatic when
The 19th century was full of revolutionary individuals seeking a higher knowledge and understanding of the way life and society operated. Two such individuals were Charles Darwin and Karl Marx. Each being masters of their own trade, Darwin was a scientist interested in the topics of natural history and the origins of species; while Marx was a philosopher who explored sociology, political history, and economic history. Over time, Darwin eventually became universally recognized as the father of the idea for natural selection and evolution, explaining these theories in a novel entitled The Origin of Species. Marx also became universally recognized for coining the term Marxism, a form of communism that centers on the idea of a utopian society with
Throughout all of history, humans have been evolving not only genetically, but also culturally. Of the two evolutionary processes, cultural evolution happens more quickly, and has had a more noticeable effect on the environment compared to genetic evolution. Early hunter/gatherer societies evolved to agrarian society, which then had technological changes that affected the culture of the society. Unfortunately, while humans have been culturally evolving towards what is perceived to be progress, the environment has been compromised, marginalized, and degraded as it is continually exploited for human benefit and consumption.