Running Header: 78582615 Social progress

Social progress

Social progress is the idea that a society uses so as to improve in terms of their social, political and economic structure. The progress can be influenced by several factors among them direct human actions or naturally through sociocultural evolution. Society is made up of a number of individuals who live together and so it would be good to measure social progress through individuals in the society, in that an individual’s achievement is equals to the society’s progress since it will benefit from that.

Social progress can also be related to the reduction and elimination of those defects in the society e.g. crimes, poverty, and homelessness. These social harms tend to drag the society behind hence hindering its progress. We can also measure social progress by considering a set of moral-structural theories such as democracy, equality and self determination.

According to Karl Marx views and opinions about social progress, he thought that social progress could be influenced by the power of technology. He thought of technology as a tool that could be used to improve the people’s lifestyle by creation of opportunities e.g. employment opportunities that would in turn reduce crimes in the society. Other technological benefits according to Karl Marx were the coming up of factories that would reduce the amount of time that was required to manufacture and produce goods, as compared to human labor.

Social progress would also be measured by the number of people who worked in the factories since it would reduce the number of unemployed persons and on the other hand generate income to some families in the society thus improving their lifestyles.

To achieve social progress the gap between the haves and the have not’s in the society would have to be reduced in order to combat the exploitations of some people in the society.

Herbert Spencer’s theory on social progress

Spencer’s discussion about social progress differed with that of Karl Marx whereby Spencer viewed social progress as the slow move from lesser integration to greater integration. Spencer thought that to achieve social progress people had to work together in order to create strong bonds that would enhance growth in the society. People had to share ideas and assist one another by the division of labor and equal distribution of resources in the society.

He suggested the institutionalization of society in order to have an organized distribution of resources to the people that would enhance social progress. The social institutions worked in specific ways and had differential effects on different groups of people in the society, therefore improving the workings of basic institutions in the society.

The perfection of ideas by the members of society and the overall happiness of every member in the society influenced social progress since they were able and willing to achieve those social goals that would enhance social progress. Spencer also suggested that society had to be flexible to accept changes in the world, for example the modernization of key sectors of the society that would improve the lifestyles of the people. The society should be able to handle the differences in the society and encourage good morals that would guide the behaviors of the people. Spencer was more interested in studying the external world to measure social progress, thus he held little regard for the centralization of political control. However, he suggested that societies should grant individuals the maximum freedom for them to pursue their private interest.

David EMILE Durkheim theory on social progress

David Durkheim is known as one of the originators of modern sociology whereby he devoted one of his first journals in 1896 to social science. He developed insightful theories on the structure of society, and the relationship between the individuals and the society. David’s main focus was also on the improvement of societies from simple to complex. His works provided some strong foundation for other researchers whereby the structures of human society were provided.

Durkheim’s interest in sociology was greatly influenced the politics of France where he was studying. The country’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian war created a backlash against the secular, republican rule and it was considered by many that the Catholics vigorous nationalistic France was the only way to rejuvenate the country’s fading power. This meant that the Jews in the country formed the political minority, a situation which gave Durkheim a perfect platform to practice his social studies.

Durkheim was from a Jewish background but he was interested in Catholicism for a short period whereby he later turned away from religious faith and he became an agnostic. Nevertheless this did not make him loose his interest in religious in phenomena, since most of his works were based on religious phenomena rather than divine factors.

He never undertook any fieldworks but he rather analyzed the observations made by other sociologists in order to make his conclusion on social progress. He was one of the first sociologists to explain the existence of different parts of the society by comparing the functions they served in keeping the society healthy and balanced.

Auguste Comte’s Theory on social progress

According to Auguste Comte, social progress was attributed to three theories, whereby one of them was social evolution. In social evolution the humans progressed from the theological stage in which nature was mythically conceived and the humans sought explanations from supernatural beings. This social progress was forced through the development of the human mind increasing the application of thoughts, reasoning, and a clear understanding of the society.

He also emphasized on the interconnectedness of different elements in the society so as to achieve social progress. Comte believed in a quantitative mathematical basis for decision making and therefore he encouraged societies to often base their decisions and ideas on this fact. This idea is still applicable and used in our society today thus making his theory one of the most effective up to date.

Conclusion

In my opinion Auguste Comte’s theory stand out from the rest of theories since there is originality in the theory in terms of ideas. The sociologist is also the father of sociology and his theory has a strong foundation of the modern notion of positivism, modern quantitative statistical analysis and business decision making. It would therefore be appropriate if modern day societies borrowed an idea from Auguste Comte’s theory in order for them to progress and improve their social status.

Reference

Little, D. (2010, June 8). social progress. Retrieved 6 25, 2011, from understandingsociety: www.understandingsociety.com