The role of the rural community in traditional society. Traditional society typology of societies in modern science

The role of the rural community in traditional society. Traditional society typology of societies in modern science

Instructions

The vital activity of a traditional society is based on subsistence (agriculture) farming with the use of extensive technologies, as well as primitive handicrafts. Such a social structure is typical for the period of antiquity and the era of the Middle Ages. It is believed that any that existed between primitive community up to the beginning of the industrial revolution, it belongs to the traditional type.

During this period, hand tools were used. Their improvement and modernization took place at an extremely slow, almost imperceptible pace of natural evolution. The economic system was based on the application natural resources, it was dominated by extractive industries, trade, construction. People were mostly sedentary.

Social system traditional society - estate-corporate. It is characterized by stability that has been maintained for centuries. There are several different classes that do not change over time, maintaining the unchanged nature of life and static. Many societies traditional look commodity relations are either not characteristic at all, or are so poorly developed that they are focused only on meeting the needs of small representatives of the social elite.

Traditional society has the following features. It is characterized by the total domination of religion in the spiritual sphere. Human life is considered to be the fulfillment of God's providence. The most important quality a member of such a society is the spirit of collectivism, a sense of belonging to one's own family and class, as well as a close connection with the land where he was born. Individualism is not characteristic of people during this period. Spiritual life for them was more important than material wealth.

The rules of coexistence with neighbors, life in, attitude to were determined by well-established traditions. The person was already acquiring his status. The social structure was interpreted only from the point of view of religion, and therefore the role of government in society was explained to the people as a divine destiny. The head of state enjoyed indisputable authority and played crucial role in the life of society.

Traditional society is demographically characterized by high, high mortality and rather low life expectancy. Examples of this type today are the structures of many countries of North-East and North Africa (Algeria, Ethiopia), South-East Asia (in particular, Vietnam). In Russia, this type of society existed before mid XIX century. Despite this, by the beginning of the new century, she was one of the most influential and large countries the world, had the status of a great power.

The main spiritual values ​​that are distinguished are the culture of the ancestors. Cultural life was predominantly focused on the past: respect for their ancestors, admiration for the works and monuments of previous eras. Culture is characterized by homogeneity (homogeneity), to its own traditions and a rather categorical rejection of the cultures of other peoples.

According to many researchers, traditional society is characterized by a lack of spiritual and cultural choice. The dominant worldview in such a society and stable traditions provide a person with a ready-made and clear system of spiritual guidelines and values. That is why the world seems to a person understandable, not causing unnecessary questions.

One of the types of economy is traditional economy... This form is quite specific, because the practice of using resources here is determined by historical traditions and customs. On this moment traditional economics is archaism; it will not be possible to meet such a form in any state, since market relations have penetrated everywhere. However, for the sub-systems (for example, some nationalities) of a number of developing countries, the traditional economy continues to be relevant. Vivid examples of the traditional economy are the communal system, where there is a leader who allocates resources exclusively within the community or tribe, or small-scale production, for example, a farm.

Signs of a traditional economy

The traditional economy differs from other systems in the following characteristic features:

The first feature of traditional economics ( primitive technologies) is its most basic problem. To understand its cause, you have to delve into management, one of the rules of which says: any organizational or strategic change will meet resistance from employees. The leader, as a rule, restrains the penetration of new technologies and advanced information, so as not to subject established traditions to doubt and discussion. In addition, an irrational and unoptimized economy helps to minimize the unemployment rate, and, consequently, the risk of civil unrest. A similar principle of management is described in the novel by George Orwell "1984", although there it comes about the command economy.

Traditional economics rejects all market principles. Trade is carried out only when there is a surplus of products (for example, food), which happens very rarely. As a rule, the traditional economy does not have a national currency, and money, which is an instrument of commodity exchange, is compensated by direct barter.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional Economics

We will try to collect all the pros and cons of the traditional form in one scheme:

The advantages of the traditional economy are the stability of society and high quality products. The traditional economy, according to experts, can last forever if it is not pressured from outside. No global financial crisis will affect the traditional economy - this is the explanation of the first advantage. High quality products due to the fact that the state produces for myself, therefore, has a direct interest in the quality of the product. Loss of quality occurs, as a rule, due to a decrease in costs or an increase in production rates - neither one nor the other is relevant for the traditional economy.

The cons are obvious. Since the traditional economy abandons automation, it has to put up with low production rates. In such conditions, there can be no talk of reserves for years to come - members of a traditional society are forced to work always without hoping to create any savings for old age. Currency can be stored and used when needed - with natural barter, this is not possible: products, which are most often the subject of exchange, simply deteriorate.

Where can you find traditional economics now?

Elements of the traditional economy can be found in almost any country, since every economy (albeit not always to a large extent) depends on natural resources. In its pure form, the traditional form can be found:

  • The northern Russian peoples who are engaged in hunting, fishing and reindeer herding.
  • In Southeast Asian countries that are considered backward (such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal). An illustrative example Bangladesh has long been a traditional economy due to the prevalence of subsistence production and the extreme poverty of the population, however, the market economy came there in the form of the world famous microfinance organization Grameen Bank, which became the progenitor of social business (about social business, Grameen Bank and its founder can be read in this article -).
  • In a number of African countries, such as the Republic of Kenya, where they are engaged in cattle breeding and subsistence production (moreover, the plow is pulled by women), Guinea-Bissau (the poorest country in the world) - nomadic animal husbandry, Burkina Faso - Agriculture.

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Traditional society is a society that is governed by tradition. The preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development. The social order in it is characterized by a rigid estate hierarchy, the existence of stable social communities (especially in the countries of the East), in a special way regulation of the life of society based on traditions and customs. This organization of society seeks to preserve the social and cultural foundations of life unchanged. Traditional society is an agrarian society.

general characteristics

A traditional society is usually characterized by:

traditional economy

the predominance of the agrarian structure;

structure stability;

estate organization;

low mobility;

high mortality;

low life expectancy.

A traditional person perceives the world and the established order of life as something inseparably integral, sacred and not subject to change. A person's place in society and his status are determined by tradition and social origin.

In traditional society, collectivist attitudes prevail, individualism is not welcomed (since the freedom of individual actions can lead to a violation of the routine, time-tested). In general, traditional societies are characterized by the predominance of collective interests over private ones. It is not so much individual capacity that is valued, but the place in the hierarchy (bureaucratic, estate, clan, etc.) that a person occupies.

In traditional society, as a rule, redistribution relations prevail, rather than market exchange, but elements market economy are tightly regulated. This is due to the fact that free market relations increase social mobility and change social structure societies (in particular, they destroy the estate); the redistribution system can be regulated by tradition, but market prices cannot; forced redistribution prevents "unauthorized" enrichment / impoverishment of both individuals and classes. The pursuit economic benefits in traditional society, it is often morally condemned, opposed to disinterested assistance.

In a traditional society, most people live their whole lives in a local community (for example, a village), and the ties with the “big society” are rather weak. Wherein family ties on the contrary, they are very strong. The worldview (ideology) of a traditional society is conditioned by tradition and authority.

For culture primitive society it was characteristic that human activities related to gathering, hunting were intertwined with natural processes, man does not distinguish himself from nature, and therefore no spiritual production existed. Cultural and creative processes were organically woven into the processes of obtaining livelihoods. A feature of this culture is connected with this - primitive syncretism, that is, its indivisibility into separate forms. Man's complete dependence on nature, extremely poor knowledge, fear of the unknown - all this inevitably led to the fact that consciousness primitive man from the first steps it was not strictly logical, but emotionally associative, fantastic.

In the field of social relations, the clan system dominates. Exogamy played a special role in the development of primitive culture. The prohibition of sexual intercourse between members of the same genus promoted the physical survival of humanity, as well as cultural interaction between genera. Intergeneric relations are regulated according to the principle "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth", while within the clan the principle of taboo prevails - a system of prohibitions on the commission of a certain kind of action, the violation of which is punishable by supernatural forces.

The universal form of the spiritual life of primitive people is mythology, and the first pre-religious beliefs existed in the form of animism, totemism, fetishism and magic. Primitive art is faceless human image, highlighting special distinctive generic features (signs, decorations, etc.), as well as important parts of the body for the continuation of life. Along with the increasing complexity of production

activities, the development of agriculture, cattle breeding in the process of the "neolithic revolution" stocks of knowledge are growing, experience is accumulating,

form other ideas about the surrounding reality,

the arts are being improved. Primitive forms of belief

are replaced by various kinds of cults: the cult of leaders, ancestors, etc.

The development of productive forces leads to the emergence of a surplus product, which is concentrated in the hands of priests, leaders, and elders. Thus, the "top" and slaves are formed, private property appears, the state is formed.

TOPIC: Traditional society

INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………… .. 3-4

1. Typology of societies in modern science……………………………. 5-7

3. Development of traditional society …………………………………… 11-15

4. Transformation of traditional society …………………………… 16-17

CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………… .. 18-19

LITERATURE……………………………………………………………. twenty

Introduction.

The urgency of the problem of traditional society is dictated by global changes in the worldview of mankind. Civilizational studies today are particularly acute and problematic. The world oscillates between prosperity and poverty, personality and numbers, endless and private. 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 initiative young people who are able to find "themselves" and their place in life, to restore Russian spiritual culture, morally stable, socially adapted, capable of self-development and continuous self-improvement. The basic structures of the personality are laid in the first years of life. This means that the family has a special responsibility to foster such qualities in the younger generation. And this problem becomes especially urgent at this present stage.

Arising naturally, "evolutionary" human culture includes an important element - a system of social relations based on solidarity and mutual assistance. A lot of studies, and even everyday experience, show that people became people precisely because they overcame selfishness and showed altruism, which goes far beyond short-term rational calculations. And that the main motives for such behavior are of an irrational nature and are associated with the ideals and movements of the soul - we see this at every step.

The culture of traditional society is based on the concept of "people" - as a transpersonal community that has historical memory and collective consciousness. An individual person, an element of such people and society, is a "conciliar personality", the focus of many human ties... He is always included in solidarity groups (families, village and church communities, labor collective, even if there are gangs of thieves - acting on the principle "One for all, all for one"). Accordingly, the prevailing relationships in traditional society are of the type of service, fulfillment of duty, love, care and compulsion. There are also acts of exchange, for the most part, which do not have the character of free and equivalent purchase and sale (exchange of equal values) - the market regulates only not most traditional social relations. Therefore, a general, all-encompassing metaphor public life in a traditional society it is "family" and not, for example, "market". Modern scientists believe that 2/3 of the population the globe to a greater or lesser extent has in its way of life the features of traditional societies. What are traditional societies, when did they arise and how is their culture characterized?

The purpose of this work: to give a general description, to study the development of a traditional society.

Based on the goal, the following tasks were set:

Consider different ways of typology of societies;

Describe traditional society;

To give an idea of ​​the development of a traditional society;

Identify the problems of transformation of traditional society.

V modern sociology there are different ways of typology of societies, and they are all legitimate from certain points of view.

There are, for example, two main types of society: first, a pre-industrial society, or the so-called traditional society, which is based on the peasant community. This type of society still covers most of Africa, a significant part Latin America, most of the East and ruled until the 19th century in Europe. Secondly, the 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 also possible. Societies can be divided according to political criteria - 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, the individual and public associations (at least ideally).

It is possible to distinguish between the types of societies by the dominant religion: Christian society, Islamic, Orthodox, etc. Finally, societies are distinguished by the dominant language: English-speaking, Russian-speaking, French-speaking, etc. One can also distinguish societies by ethnicity: single-ethnic, bi-national, multinational ...

One of the main types of typology of societies is the formational approach.

feudal, capitalist and communist (includes two phases - socialism and communism).

None of the above-mentioned main theoretical points, which form the basis of the theory of formations, is now indisputable. The theory of socio-economic formations is not only based on theoretical conclusions of the middle of the 19th century, but because of this it cannot explain many of the contradictions that have arisen:

· 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 of social production relations; modification and modification of classes;

· The emergence of a new hierarchy of values ​​with the priority of universal values ​​over class ones.

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 - postindustrial society, which is characterized by the use of achievements scientific and technological revolution; sometimes it is called the information society, because the main thing is no longer the production of a certain material product, but the production and processing of information. The indicator of this stage is the spread of computer technology, the unification of the whole society into a single information system in which ideas and thoughts are freely circulated. Leading in such a society is the requirement to observe the so-called human rights.

stage of development. And only a smaller part - Europe, USA, Japan - entered the third stage of development. Russia is now in a state of transition from the second stage to the third.

the theory of traditional society does not exist. The concept of traditional society is based, rather, on its understanding as a socio-cultural model asymmetric to modern society, rather than on the generalization of the real facts of the life of peoples not engaged in industrial production. The dominance of a natural economy 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 stratum of the social elite. The basic principle of the organization of social relations is a rigid hierarchical stratification of society, as a rule, manifested in the division into endogamous castes. At the same time, the main form of organizing social relations for the overwhelming majority of the population is a relatively closed, isolated community. The latter circumstance dictated the domination of collectivist social representations focused on strict adherence traditional norms of behavior and excluding individual freedom of the individual, as well as the 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 predominantly in authoritarian forms. Characteristic feature traditional society is considered either the complete absence of writing, or its existence in the form of a privilege individual groups(officials, priests). At the same time, writing often develops in a language other than spoken language 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 family and community are the main institutions of socialization. The consequence of this was the extreme variability of the culture of one and the same ethnic group, manifested in local and dialectal differences.

Traditional societies include ethnic communities, for which communal settlements are characteristic, the preservation of blood-related ties, mainly handicraft and agrarian forms of labor. The emergence of such societies goes back to the earliest stages of human development, to primitive culture.

Any society from a primitive hunter community to an industrial revolution late XVIII century can be called a traditional society.

East) by a rigid estate 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 seeks to preserve the social and 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 practically do not develop;

· The predominance of the agrarian structure;

· Stability of the structure;

· Estate organization;

· Low mobility;

· High mortality;

· High birth rate;

A traditional person perceives the world and the established order of life as something inseparably integral, sacred and not subject to change. A person's place in society and his status are determined by tradition (as a rule, by birthright).

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.). It is not so much individual capacity that is valued, but the place in the hierarchy (bureaucratic, estate, clan, etc.) that a person occupies.

In a traditional society, as a rule, redistribution rather than market exchange prevails, and the elements of a market economy are tightly 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 the estate); the redistribution system can be governed by tradition, but market prices cannot; forced redistribution prevents "unauthorized" enrichment, impoverishment of both individuals and classes. The pursuit of economic benefits in traditional society is often morally condemned, opposed to disinterested assistance.

In a traditional society, most people live their entire lives in a local community (for example, a village), and the ties 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 conditioned by tradition and authority.

3.Development of a traditional society

but also based on cattle breeding, like all the nomadic steppe powers of Eurasia (the Turkic and Khazar kaganates, the empire of Genghis Khan, etc.). And even on fishing in the exceptionally fish-rich coastal waters of southern Peru (in pre-Columbian America).

in the most different forms: 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 economic life 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, getting everything they needed in their estates, bought mainly jewelry, spices, expensive weapons of thoroughbred horses, etc.

In social terms, 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, the attachment is purely personal. This is manifested in the involvement of each in a collective that carries out this redistribution, and in the dependence of each on the “elders” (by age, origin, social status), who are “at the boiler”. Moreover, the transition from one collective to another is extremely difficult, social mobility in this society is very low. At the same time, not only the position of the estate in the social hierarchy is valuable, but also the very fact of belonging to it. Here we can give specific examples - caste and estate systems of stratification.

A caste (as in traditional Indian society, for example) is a closed group of people who occupy a strictly defined place in society. This place is delineated by many factors or signs, the main ones of which are:

• endogamy, that is, the obligation to enter into marriages only within one's own caste;

· Ritual purity (after contact with the "lower" it is necessary to go through a whole procedure of purification).

The estate is a social group with hereditary rights and responsibilities, enshrined in customs and laws. Feudal society medieval Europe, in particular, it was divided into three main estates: the clergy (the symbol is the book), the knighthood (the symbol is the sword) and the peasantry (the symbol is the plow). There were six estates in Russia before the 1917 revolution. These are nobles, clergy, merchants, bourgeoisie, peasants, Cossacks.

The regulation of class life was extremely tough, down to minor circumstances and insignificant details. Thus, according to the "Charter to Cities" of 1785, Russian merchants of the first guild could ride around the city in a carriage drawn by a pair of horses, and merchants of the second guild - only in a carriage by a couple. The class division of society, as well as the caste division, was sanctified and consolidated by religion: everyone has their own destiny, their own destiny, their own corner on this earth. Stay where God placed you, exaltation is a manifestation of pride, one of the seven (according to medieval classification) deadly sins.

in Europe or a merchant union in the East, a monastic or knightly order, a Russian cenobitic monastery, thieves or beggarly corporations. The Hellenic polis can be viewed not so much as a city-state, but as a civil community. A person outside the community is an outcast, outcast, suspicious, enemy. Therefore, expulsion from the community was one of the most terrible punishments in any of the agrarian societies. 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 sure that his children and grandchildren will follow the same path.

Relationships and connections between people in traditional society were permeated through and through with personal devotion and dependence, which is understandable. At that level technological development only direct contacts, personal involvement, individual involvement could ensure the movement of knowledge, skills, abilities from teacher to student, from master to apprentice. This movement, we note, took the form of passing on secrets, secrets, recipes. Thus, a certain social task was also solved. Thus, the oath, which in the Middle Ages symbolically and ritually strengthened relations between vassals and lords, in its own way equalized the parties involved, giving their relationship a touch of simple patronage of the father to the son.

The political structure of the overwhelming majority of pre-industrial societies is determined more by tradition and custom than by written law. Power could be justified by the origin, the scale of the controlled distribution (land, food, 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 important).

Most often, the state 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 named principles. As a rule, traditional societies are characterized by the fusion of the phenomena of power and property with the determining role of power, that is, having more power, and had real control over a significant part of the property that was at the collective disposal of society. For typical preindustrial 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 estate, communal 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 lined up or organized as a rigid whole. And not just as a whole, but as a clearly prevailing, dominant whole.

in essence, the common good hierarchically completes the value system of a traditional society. Along with other values, it ensures the unity of a person 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. Polis is a city or a society-state. The man and the citizen coincided in him. The polis horizon of ancient man was both political and ethical. Outside its borders, nothing interesting was expected - only barbarism. The Greek, a citizen of the polis, perceived the state goals as his own, saw his own good in the good of the state. With the polis, its existence, he tied his hopes for justice, freedom, peace and happiness.

In the Middle Ages, God acts as a common and highest good. He is the source of all that is good, valuable and worthy in this world. Man himself was created in his image and likeness. From God and all power on earth. God is the ultimate goal of all human endeavor. The highest good that a sinful man is capable of for the earthly is love for God, service to Christ. Christian love is a special love: God-fearing, suffering, ascetic-humble. In her self-forgetfulness, there is a lot of contempt for herself, for worldly joys and comforts, achievements and successes. By her own earthly life a person in its religious interpretation is devoid of any value and purpose.

The historical life of a traditional society is notable for its slow pace. The boundaries between the historical stages of "traditional" development are barely distinguishable, there are no abrupt shifts and radical shocks.

urgent needs, but for the sake of the future. Traditional society took from nature exactly as much as needed, and nothing more. Its economy could be called environmentally friendly.

4. Transformation of traditional society

Traditional society is extremely resilient. 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 took place extremely slowly - over generations, almost imperceptibly for an individual. Periods of accelerated development also took place in traditional societies ( vivid example- changes in the territory of Eurasia in the 1st millennium BC. 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 cyclical 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 the Greek city-states, medieval self-governing trading cities, England and Holland of the 16th-17th centuries. Stands apart Ancient Rome(until the 3rd century AD) with its civil society.

The rapid and irreversible transformation of traditional society began to take place only from the 18th century as a result of the industrial revolution. To date, 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 orientations and values, a loss of the meaning of life, etc. Since adaptation to new conditions and a change in the nature of activities are not included in the strategy of a traditional person, the transformation of society often leads to the marginalization of a part of the population.

The transformation of traditional society is most painful when the dismantled traditions have a religious basis. At the same time, resistance to change can take the form of religious fundamentalism.

In the period of transformation of traditional society, authoritarianism can grow in it (either in order to preserve traditions, or in order to overcome resistance to change).

The transformation of traditional society ends with a demographic transition. The generation that grew up in families with few children 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 the 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.

CONCLUSION

Traditional societies are characterized by the following features:

· Predominantly agricultural mode of production, understanding land tenure not as property, but as land use. The type of relationship between society and nature is not built 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 property with a weak development of the institution of private property. Conservation of community lifestyles and community 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, estates) are stable. Ethnic, clan, caste differentiation of societies, in contrast to late industrial societies with class division;

Save to Everyday life combinations of polytheistic and monotheistic ideas, the role of ancestors, orientation towards the past;

progress, has a pronounced tendency to stagnation, does not consider the autonomous development of a free personality as the most important value. But Western civilization, having achieved impressive successes, is currently facing a number of very complex problems: ideas about the possibilities of unlimited industrial and scientific and technological growth have proved to be untenable; the balance of nature and society is disturbed; the pace of technological progress is unbearable and threatens global environmental disaster... Many scientists pay attention to the merits of traditional thinking with its emphasis on adaptation to nature, the perception of the human person as a part of the natural and social whole.

in the spiritual moral sphere, in addition to the revival of the original Russian civilization on traditional values 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.

3. Mathieu ME Selected works on mythology and ideology of Ancient Egypt. -M., 1996.

4. Levikova S. I. West and East. Tradition and modernity. - M., 1993.

Plan
Introduction
1 General characteristics
2 Transformation of traditional society
and literature

Introduction

Traditional society is a society that is governed by tradition. The preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development. The social order in it is characterized by a rigid estate hierarchy, the existence of stable social communities (especially in the countries of the East), a special way of regulating the life of society, based on traditions and customs. This organization of society seeks to preserve the social and cultural foundations of life unchanged. Traditional society is an agrarian society.

1. General characteristics

A traditional society is usually characterized by:

Traditional economy

· The predominance of the agrarian structure;

· Stability of the structure;

· Estate organization;

· Low mobility;

· High mortality;

· Low life expectancy.

The traditional person perceives the world and the established order of life as something inextricably integral, holistic, sacred and not subject to change. A person's place in society and his status are determined by tradition (as a rule, by birthright).

In a traditional society, collectivist attitudes prevail, individualism is not welcomed (since freedom of individual actions can lead to a violation of the established routine, time-tested). In general, traditional societies are characterized by the predominance of collective interests over private ones, including the primacy of the interests of existing hierarchical structures (state, clan, etc.). It is not so much individual capacity that is valued, but the place in the hierarchy (bureaucratic, estate, clan, etc.) that a person occupies.

In a traditional society, as a rule, redistribution rather than market exchange prevails, and the elements of a market economy are tightly 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 the estate); the redistribution system can be regulated by tradition, but market prices cannot; forced redistribution prevents "unauthorized" enrichment / impoverishment of both individuals and classes. The pursuit of economic benefits in traditional society is often morally condemned, opposed to disinterested assistance.

In a traditional society, most people live their entire lives in a local community (for example, a village), and the ties with the “big society” are rather weak. At the same time, family ties, on the contrary, are very strong.

The worldview (ideology) of a traditional society is conditioned by tradition and authority.

2. Transformation of traditional society

Traditional society is extremely resilient. 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 took place extremely slowly - over generations, almost imperceptibly for an individual. Periods of accelerated development also took place in traditional societies (a striking example is changes in the territory of Eurasia in the 1st millennium BC), but even in 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 cyclical 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 the Greek city-states, medieval self-governing trading cities, England and Holland of the 16th-17th centuries. Ancient Rome (until the 3rd century AD) with its civil society stands apart.

The rapid and irreversible transformation of traditional society began to take place only from the 18th century as a result of the industrial revolution. To date, 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 orientations and values, a loss of the meaning of life, etc. Since adaptation to new conditions and a change in the nature of activities are not included in the strategy of a traditional person, the transformation of society often leads to the marginalization of a part of the population.

The transformation of traditional society is most painful when the dismantled traditions have a religious basis. At the same time, resistance to change can take the form of religious fundamentalism.

In the period of transformation of traditional society, authoritarianism can grow in it (either in order to preserve traditions, or in order to overcome resistance to change).

The transformation of traditional society ends with a demographic transition. The generation that grew up in families with few children has a psychology that differs from the psychology of a traditional person.

Opinions about the need (and degree) 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 the 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.

1. Knowledge-Power, No. 9, 2005, "Demographic oddities"

· Textbook "Sociology of culture" (chapter "Historical dynamics of culture: features of the culture of traditional and modern societies. Modernization")

· The book by A. G. Vishnevsky “The Sickle and the Ruble. Conservative modernization in the USSR "

· The book "European modernization"

A.P. Nazaretyan Demographic utopia of "sustainable development" // Social sciences and modernity. 1996. No. 2. S. 145-152.

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