The typology of society in sociology is one of the most important problems not only in this science, but also in many other branches. This article will consecrate this issue, present a brief history of its study, starting with the works of Karl Marx and ending with the latest scientific research in this area.
Relevance of the problem
The typology of society in sociology is a significant issue not only in this science, but also in other areas of knowledge. For example, when developing education standards, the characteristics of modern society are taken into account, since as a result of the process of education and upbringing, the state should receive such a citizen who is most in demand at the moment. This is required for the development of many sectors of life, such as the economy, culture, science, and so on.
The typology of society in sociology is also taken into account by pedagogy in order to give students the knowledge and skills that will allow them to fully realize theiropportunities, and become full members of society. This is the relevance of this problem.
History of the study of the typology of society in sociology
When considering any issue, it is customary to state in chronological order the cases of addressing it by various thinkers since ancient times. Speaking directly about the topic of this article, we can say that it was not considered sufficiently until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when, in fact, the science of sociology appeared. At this time, a number of thinkers created their works, which have become classics in this field. Their influence on society was so great that these works excited thousands of European citizens, as a result of which a wave of social revolutions swept through Western countries.
However, before the advent of Karl Marx's studies, scientists were more interested not in the typology of society in sociology and its types, but directly in the division of the population into classes. They often expressed their thoughts on how to change the current, unsatisfactory situation in modern society.
Karl Marx, summarizing the information available by that time on this issue, systematized them and outlined his typology of society in sociology.
What did the classic write about?
Karl Marx was an economist by training, so his theory is based on the provisions drawn from this branch of knowledge.
The basis of his version of the typology of society in sociology was the principle of division according to the type of production of material goods, as well as forms of ownership.
German scientistidentified the following categories of development of human communities.
Primitive communal system
At this stage of development of society, all its members are equal in relation to each other. There is no division into separate classes. There is also no private property as such. Sometimes tribal leaders stand out, but these are, as a rule, "first among equals." An individual's belonging to a particular tribe is determined by birth.
This system is sometimes also called primitive communism. Since in this social formation there are no commodity-money relations, and all material goods are evenly distributed among the members of society.
Some modern scientists who study relationships in primitive society say that in the so-called pre-monetary civilizations, contrary to popular belief, there were no transactions based on the exchange of goods. Instead, the advent of finance was preceded by a completely different principle of distribution of products. In these types of civilizations, the so-called gift culture was widespread.
This concept implies that those people who could afford to make large offerings to other members of society enjoyed the greatest respect and honor. For example, if a person had the necessary skills and abilities for successful hunting or fishing and his catch far exceeded the amount of food needed to feed his family, such a person would definitely give the surplus to those brothers who, for one reason or anothercould not achieve such results.
Accordingly, the selection of some individuals in relation to others was not based on the principle of "who is stronger and richer", but for more humane reasons.
Continuous development
Speaking about the typology of society in sociology, one should definitely say that any team is not a static phenomenon, but constantly changing. These transformations occur most often in a natural way, that is, in the course of evolution. As the reasons for this development, we can name events leading to changes in the economy and politics. However, there are precedents for violent intervention in the natural course of history.
Over the past three centuries, one can find numerous examples of revolutions aimed at changing the social order. So, primitive society, as already mentioned, is not static, but in the course of certain processes, knowledge is released in it, which simultaneously leads to a dependent position of its other members.
Scientists receive knowledge about this not only from archeological materials, but also by studying the life of tribes that are still at this stage of development today.
Slavery
The next point in the typology of society in sociology, the characteristic features of which are considered in this article, is the slave system.
This name speaks for itself. Here comes a new class of slaves. Initially, only representatives of neighboring tribes taken prisoner as a result of armed conflicts were considered as such.
Feudalism
Considering briefly the typology of society in sociology, the following can be said about the feudal formation. Here, more complex social relations appear. Gradually know is also divided into different categories.
Relations between its representatives, as well as subordinates in different eras, differed significantly from each other. So, in medieval Europe there was a rather interesting principle according to which the servant of the servant could not obey the master of his master. The rule was: "The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal".
Capitalism and Communism
After feudalism, due to the development of production and the emergence of a new class of people - the owners of large, medium and small enterprises, a new social type was formed in the typology of society in sociology. This formation is called capitalism.
Karl Marx called communism the highest stage in the development of society. A distinctive feature of such a society is the even distribution of benefits among its participants, the erasure of boundaries between classes.
Classification by main occupation
However, modern sociology often presents the typology of society in a different form. Most often, it is compiled according to the type of predominant activity.
By this criterion, all models of society can be divided into traditional, industrial and post-industrial society.
Traditional way of life
In such a society, production is weakdeveloped. Most people are employed in agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and so on. Scientists say that such a way of life inevitably leads to the following characteristics of social relations. In such formations, as a rule, traditions and customs are very strong. They are treated equally with official laws.
Such a society, as a rule, is extremely immune to any kind of innovation. This can be explained by the fact that the occupations themselves, which are considered the main ones in such societies, are rather conservative and change little, even for many hundreds of years.
Industrialism
Considering the main types of typology of society in sociology and paying attention to the classification by type of main occupation, it is also worth dwelling in detail on the consideration of the second group of societies - industrial ones. In such a pharmacy, most people are employed in the manufacturing sector.
The most sought-after occupations are blue-collar jobs, and in the most advanced forms of industrialization, engineers and production managers are the most prestigious occupations.
Information Society
This term refers to the stage of social development at which most of the countries of Europe are currently located, or at least towards which they are moving. Speaking about the typology of society in sociology and its types, it is worth mentioning one more fact.
Modern humanity has reached the stage of development at which the industry, although it plays one of the leading roles in providingpeople with the blessings of life, but still the most demanded speci alties are those associated with the processing and production of information. This is due to a new round of development of technology, in particular computers and industries based on them. This means that at present, there is an increasing need for people who can service the operation of modern computers.
Also in the information, or post-industrial, society, other professions related to the processing and storage of information are also in demand. So, already today a sufficient percentage of employees in Europe are involved in this area. According to statisticians, over the next ten years, the number of people employed in this field will increase to forty percent of the total population.
Conclusion
This article presented the main types of typologies of society in sociology. These classifications are not the only ones. Their number is so great that it is impossible to say exactly how many types of typologies of society exist in sociology. This is due to the fact that the collective itself is an extremely complex phenomenon. Its manifestations are numerous. And since there are a huge number of characteristics of society, the typology of society in sociology is a concept that has a large number of interpretations.
similar (on a religious basis), and so on. Each society seeks to protect the foundations that have developed in it. Therefore, the division into classes exists in almost any mode as its necessary element.
