Progress as a way to rationalize social life. Social progress, its criteria and features in modern conditions

Are you already familiar with the concept of social dynamics? Society does not stand still, constantly changing directions of its development. Is society really increasing the pace of its development, what is its direction? We’ll look at how to answer it correctly in task 25 after the topic.

“Progress is movement in a circle, but more and more quickly”

This is what the American writer Leonard Levinson thought.

To begin with, let us remember that we already know the concept and it and have also worked on the topic

Let us remember that one of the signs is development, movement. Society is constantly in the process of change; the institutions it needs are developing, making them more complex. Undemanded institutions are dying out. We have already traced the development of the institute

Let's look at other important institutions - imagine their development and social demand for them in the form of a table:

Social dynamics are expressed in various directions of development of society.

Progress– progressive development of society, expressed in complication social structure.

Regression– degradation of social structure and social relations (the opposite term to PROGRESS, its antonym).

The concepts of PROGRESS AND REGRESS are very conditional; what is characteristic of the development of one society cannot be acceptable for another. Let us remember that in Ancient Sparta weak newborn boys were simply thrown off the cliff, because they could not become wars. Today this custom looks barbaric to us.

Evolution– gradual development of society (the opposite term to REVOLUTION, its antonym). One of its forms is reform– a change emanating from and changing relationships in one of the spheres (For example, agrarian reform P.A. Stolypin). REVOLUTION in the sense comes from

Social dynamics is the subject of study of one of the sciences about SOCIETY - social. There are two main approaches to the study of society.

According to Marx, every society must go through all stages of development and arrive at (linearity of development). The civilizational approach provides alternative paths for each parallel existence societies with different levels of development, which is more consistent with modern realities. It is this approach that is most in demand in the context of Unified State Examination tasks.

Let's try to compare the three types of societies according to various important parameters in the form of a table:

And we conclude that in historical development There are three main types of society:

Traditional society – historical type of civilization based on both the predominance and

Industrial society – historical type of civilization based on the introduction of the elimination of monarchical political system Middle Ages.

Post-industrial (information) society – a modern type of civilization based on the dominance (of computers in production, the result of the 20th century.

Thus, today we have worked on the following important topics from

• The concept of social progress;
• Multivariate social development (types of societies).

And now PRACTICUM! LET'S CONSOLIDATE THE KNOWLEDGE WE GOT TODAY!

We carry out

exercise 25. What meaning do social scientists put into the concept of “criterion of progress”? Drawing on the knowledge of the social science course, compose two sentences: one sentence revealing the features of progress, and one sentence containing information about the criterion(s) for determining progress.

First, let's not make the most common mistake associated with this task. What is required from us is not two sentences, but a CONCEPT and 2 SENTENCES (three in total!). So, we remembered the concept of progress - the progressive development of society, its movement forward. Let's choose a synonym for the word criterion - measure, yardstick. Respectively:
The “criterion of progress” is a measure by which the degree of development of society is judged.

1. A feature of progress is its inconsistency; all criteria for progress are subjective.

And, we remember that although the degree of development of a society can be measured in different ways (there are many approaches - the level of development of science, technology and technology, the degree of democracy, a generally accepted single criterion is the humanity of society). So:

2. The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humanity of society, the ability to provide maximum conditions for development to each person.

So this is what our response looks like:

25. The “criterion of progress” is a measure by which the degree of development of society is judged.

1. A feature of progress is its inconsistency; all criteria for progress are subjective.
2. The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humaneness of society, the ability to provide maximum conditions for development to each person.

Studying history, we see how different aspects of social life change over time, one type of society replaces another.

Social changes

Various changes are constantly taking place in society. Some of them are being carried out before our eyes (a new president is elected, social programs to help families or the poor are introduced, legislation is changed).

Social changes are characterized by their direction, they can be both positive (positive changes for the better), they are called progress, and negative (negative changes for the worse) - regression.

We advise you to remember!
Social progress - consistent positive changes in society; the process of its ascent from one historical stage to another, the development of society from simple to complex, from less developed forms to more developed ones.
Social regression is the movement of society back to lower levels of development.

Let's turn to historical example. The Roman Empire developed progressively over hundreds of years. New buildings were erected, architecture, poetry and theater developed, legislation was improved, and new territories were conquered. But during the era of the Great Migration, barbarian nomadic tribes destroyed the Roman Empire. Livestock and poultry were grazed on the ruins of ancient palaces; aqueducts no longer supplied fresh water to the cities. Illiteracy reigned where arts and crafts had previously flourished. Progress gave way to regression.

Paths of social progress

Progress is being made in different ways and ways. There are gradual and spasmodic types of social progress. The first is called reformist, the second - revolutionary.

We advise you to remember!
Reform is a partial gradual improvement in any area; transformation carried out by legislative means.
Revolution is a complete change in all or most aspects of social life, affecting the foundations of the existing social system.

The first revolution in human history was the so-called Neolithic revolution, which represented a qualitative leap, a transition from an appropriating economy (hunting and gathering) to a producing economy (agriculture and cattle breeding). Neolithic Revolution began 10 thousand years ago. It was a global revolution - it swept the whole world.

The second global process was the industrial revolution of the 18th-19th centuries. She also played a prominent role in human history, led to the spread of machine production, the replacement of an agrarian society with an industrial one.

Global revolutions affect all spheres of society and many countries, and therefore lead to qualitative changes.

Revolutions taking place in individual countries also lead to reorganization in all spheres of people's lives. A similar thing happened to Russia after October Revolution 1917, when the Soviets of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies came to power. Authorities have changed, entire social groups(for example, the noble class), but new ones appeared - the Soviet intelligentsia, collective farmers, party workers, etc.

Reforms are partial changes that affect not the entire society, but certain areas of it.

Reforms, as a rule, do not affect all countries, but each one separately, since this is an internal matter of the state. Reforms are carried out by the government, are transparent, are planned in advance, the general population is involved in their discussion, and the progress of the reform is covered by the press.

Interesting facts
One of the greatest reformers in history was Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527-565) - He established a commission to create a body of Roman law (in Latin - Corpus juris civilis) with the aim of replacing outdated laws. It was also necessary to eliminate contradictions in legislation. When the Justinian Code was created, all laws not included in it became invalid. To this day, Roman law is the basis civil law most modern countries (including Russia).

Today our country is undergoing an education reform, which began back in the 1990s and led to the appearance of new textbooks, examination Unified State Examination systems, state educational standards.

Clever idea
“Progress is a way of human existence.”
- - Victor Hugo, French writer - -

The impact of technological progress on society

The basis for the development of society is technical progress - the improvement of tools and technology, as it changes production, quality and productivity of labor, affects people and the relationship between society and nature.

Technical progress has a long history of development. About 2 million years ago, the first tools appeared (remember what they were), from which technical progress began. Approximately 8-10 thousand years ago, our ancestors moved from gathering and hunting to agriculture and cattle breeding, and about 6 thousand years ago, people began to live in cities, specialize in certain types of labor, and divided into social classes. In the second half of the 17th century, with the beginning of the industrial revolution, the era of industrial factories opened, and in the 20th century - computers, the Internet, thermonuclear energy, and space exploration. A modern personal computer is superior in performance to computer centers of the 80-90s of the last century.

What replaced the forge (1), plow (2), pen and inkwell (3)? Can we talk about social progress in these cases?

Perhaps no other society valued innovation as highly as the modern one. In the 20th century, unique inventions were made: electricity, radio, television, cars, airplanes, nuclear energy, rocket science, computers, laser technology and robots. Each new invention, in turn, led to the creation of even more advanced generations of technology.

Technological progress also affected the social sphere. Technical devices make a person’s life much easier, help people solve everyday problems (cook food, clean the apartment, do laundry, etc.), and come to the aid of people with disabilities. The advent of the automobile radically changed ideas about the place of work and residence, and made it possible for a person to live many kilometers from his workplace. People have become more mobile, including teenagers, who, thanks to the Internet, began to communicate with their peers from geographically distant places.

Technological progress has changed the lives of millions of people, but at the same time it has created many problems. Active human intervention in nature has led to many negative consequences: many species of plants and animals are disappearing or are on the verge of extinction, forests are being cut down, industrial enterprises are polluting water, air and soil. The conveniences of city life are accompanied by air pollution, transport fatigue, etc.

Let's sum it up
Social progress is the movement of humanity from lower to higher levels. It has a global character, covering the whole world. On the contrary, regression is a temporary retreat from the conquered positions. Revolutions and reforms are two types of social progress. Revolutions can be global or limited to one or several countries. Reforms are carried out only in one society and are gradual.

Basic terms and concepts
Social progress, social regression, reforms, revolution, technical progress.

Test your knowledge

1. Give examples of social change. Do changes in social life always lead to positive consequences? Justify your answer.
2. Explain the meaning of the concepts: “social progress”, “social regression”, “reform”, “revolution”, “technical progress”.
3. Pick up keywords characterizing social progress, social regression, revolutions, reforms.
4. Give examples from history that illustrate different paths of social progress.
5. How do you think wars influence the development of society? Do they serve a progressive or regressive role? Explain your answer.

Workshop

Lecture:

Concepts of progress, regression, stagnation

The individual and society as a whole tend to strive for the best. Our fathers and grandfathers worked so that we could live better than them. In turn, we must take care of the future of our children. This desire of people contributes to social development, but it can proceed in both a progressive and regressive direction.

Social progress- this is the direction of social development from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect.

The term "social progress" is associated with the terms "innovation" and "modernization". Innovation is an innovation in any area, leading to its qualitative growth. And modernization is the updating of machines, equipment, and technical processes to bring them into line with the requirements of the time.

Social regression- this is the opposite direction of progress of social development from higher to lower, less perfect.

For example, population growth is progress, and its opposite, population decline, is regression. But there may be a period in the development of society when there are neither shifts nor recessions. This period is called stagnation.

Stagnation- a stagnant phenomenon in the development of society.

Criteria for social progress

In order to assess the presence of social progress and its effectiveness, there are criteria. The most important of them are:

• Education and literacy of people.

The degree of their morality and tolerance.

Democracy of society and the quality of realization of the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Level of scientific and technical innovation.

The level of labor productivity and the welfare of the people.

Life expectancy level, population health status.

Paths of social progress

In what ways can social progress be achieved? There are three such paths: evolution, revolution, reform. The word evolution translated from Latin means “unfolding”, revolution means “coup”, and reform means “transformation”.

Revolutionary path involves rapid fundamental changes in social and government foundations. This is the path of violence, destruction and sacrifice.

An integral part of social development is reform - legal transformations in any sphere of society, carried out on the initiative of authorities without affecting the existing foundations. Reforms can be both evolutionary and revolutionary in nature. For example, reforms Peter I were of a revolutionary nature (remember the decree on cutting the beards of the boyars). And Russia’s transition since 2003 to the Bologna education system, for example, the introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard in schools, bachelor’s and master’s levels in universities, is a reform of an evolutionary nature.

The contradictions of social progress

The directions of social development listed above (progress, regression) occur interconnectedly in history. Often, progress in one area can be accompanied by regression in another, and progress in one country can be accompanied by regression in others. P The following examples illustrate the contradictory nature of social progress:

The second half of the 20th century is marked by rapid progress in science - automation and computerization of production (progress). The development of this and other branches of science requires huge expenditures of electricity, heat and atomic energy. NTR supplied everything modern humanity to the brink environmental disaster(regression).

The invention of technical devices certainly makes a person’s life easier (progress), but negatively affects his health (regression).

The power of Macedonia - the country of Alexander the Great (progress) was based on the destruction of other countries (regression).

Social progress is considered in school course multifaceted, it becomes possible to see the inconsistency of the process. Society develops unevenly, changing positions like a person. It is important to choose the path that will lead to improved living conditions and preservation of the planet.

The Problem of the Progressive Movement

Since ancient times, scientists have tried to determine the paths of development of societies. Some found similarities with nature: the seasons. Others identified cyclical patterns of ups and downs. The cycle of events did not allow us to give precise instructions on how and where to move the peoples. Arose scientific problem. The main directions are laid down in the understanding two terms :

• Progress;
• Regression.

Thinker and poet Ancient Greece Hesiod divided human history into 5 eras :

• Gold;
• Silver;
• Copper;
• Bronze;
• Iron.

Rising upward from century to century, a person should have become better and better, but history has proven the opposite. The scientist's theory failed. Iron Age, in which the scientist himself lived, did not become an impetus for the development of morality. Democritus divided history into three groups :

• Past;
• Present;
• Future.

The transition from one period to another should show growth and improvement, but this approach did not become true either.

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Plato and Aristotle conceived of history as a process of movement through cycles with repeating stages.

Scientists proceeded from an understanding of progress. According to social science, the concept of social progress is movement forward. Regression is an antonym, a contrast to the first concept. Regression is a movement from higher to lower, degradation.

Progress and regression are characterized by movement, its continuity has been proven. But movement can go up - for the better, down - to a return to previous forms of life.

Contradictions of scientific theories

Hesiod reasoned on the basis that humanity develops by learning the lessons of the past. Controversy social process refuted his reasoning. IN last century relationships of high morality had to be formed among people. Hesiod noted the corruption moral values, people began to preach evil, violence, war. The scientist put forward the idea of ​​a regressive development of history. Man, in his opinion, cannot change the course of history, he is a pawn and does not play a role in the tragedy of the planet.

Progress became the basis of the theory of the French philosopher A. R. Turgot. He proposed viewing history as a constant movement forward. He proved it by suggesting the properties of the human mind. A person constantly achieves success, consciously improves his life and living conditions. Supporters of the progressive path of development:

• J. A. Condorcet;
• G. Hegel.

Karl Marx also supported their faith. He believed that humanity penetrates nature and, by studying its capabilities, improves itself.

It is not possible to imagine history as a line rising forward. It will be a curve or broken line: ups and downs, surges and declines.

Criteria for the progress of social development

Criteria are the basis, the circumstances that lead to the development or stabilization of certain processes. The criteria for social progress have gone through different approaches.

The table helps to understand the views on the development trends of society of scientists from different eras:

Scientists	Progress criteria
A. Condorcet	The human mind develops, changing society itself. The manifestations of his mind in various spheres enable humanity to move forward.
Utopians	Progress is built on the brotherhood of man. The team finds purpose joint movement to create better conditions of coexistence.
F. Schelling	Man gradually strives to create the legal foundations of society.
G. Hegel	Progress is built on a person’s awareness of freedom.
Modern approaches of philosophers	Types of criteria: Development of productive forces of a different nature: within society, within a person. Humanity: the quality of personality is perceived more and more correctly; society and every person strive for it; it is the engine of progress.

Examples of progressive development

Examples of moving forward include the following public phenomena and processes :

• economic growth;
• discovery of new scientific theories;
• development and modernization of technical means;
• discovery of new types of energy: nuclear, atomic;
• the growth of cities that improve human living conditions.

Examples of progress are the development of medicine, the increase in the types and power of means of communication between people, and the passing of concepts such as slavery into the past.

Regression examples

Society is moving along the path of regression, what phenomena do scientists attribute to backward movement:

• Problems environmental plan: damage to nature, pollution environment, death of the Aral Sea.
• Improving types of weapons that lead to the mass death of humanity.
• Creation and distribution across the planet atomic weapons, leading to the death of a huge number of people.
• An increase in the number of industrial accidents that are dangerous for people located in the territory where they are located (nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants).
• Air pollution in large populated areas.

The law defining the signs of regression has not been established by scientists. Each society develops in its own way. Laws adopted in some states are unacceptable to others. The reason is the individuality of one person and entire nations. The determining force in the movement of history is man, and it is difficult to fit him into a framework, to give him a definite plan along which he follows in life.

Social progress - this is a global historical process of development of society from lower to higher, from a primitive, wild state to a higher, civilized one. This process occurs thanks to the development of scientific and technical, social and political, moral and cultural achievements.

For the first time theory of progress described by the famous French publicist Abbé Saint-Pierre in his book “Remarks on the Continuous Progress of Universal Reason” in 1737. According to his theory, progress is inherent in every person by God and this process is inevitable, like natural phenomena. In the future progress research as a social phenomenon continued and deepened.

Progress criteria.

Progress criteria are the main parameters of its characteristics:

• social;
• economic;
• spiritual;
• scientific and technical.

Social criterion - this is the level of social development. It implies the level of people's freedoms, quality of life, the degree of difference between rich and poor, the presence of a middle class, etc. Main engines social development- these are revolutions and reforms. That is, a radical complete change in all layers of social life and its gradual change, transformation. Different political schools evaluate these engines differently. For example, everyone knows that Lenin preferred revolution.

Economic criterion - this is the growth of GDP, trade and banking, and other parameters economic development. The economic criterion is the most important, as it affects the others. It's hard to think about creativity or spiritual self-education when there is nothing to eat.

Spiritual criterion - Moral development is one of the most controversial, as different models of society evaluate differently. For example, unlike European countries, Arab countries do not consider tolerance towards sexual minorities to be spiritual progress, and even vice versa - regression. However, there are generally accepted parameters by which spiritual progress can be judged. For example, condemnation of murder and violence is characteristic of all modern states.

Scientific and technical criterion - is the availability of new products, scientific discoveries, inventions, advanced technologies, in short - innovations. Most often, progress refers to this criterion in the first place.

Alternative theories.

Progress concept has been criticized since the 19th century. A number of philosophers and historians deny progress as a social phenomenon completely. J. Vico views the history of society as cyclical development with ups and downs. A. Toynbee gives as an example the history of various civilizations, each of which has phases of emergence, growth, decline and decay (Maya, Roman Empire, etc.).

In my opinion, these disputes are related to different understandings of the determining progress as such, as well as with different understandings of its social significance.

However, without social progress we would not have society as we know it today, with its achievements and morals.