The typology of society in sociology is one of the most important problems not only of this science, but also of many other branches. This article will focus on 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 training and education process, the state should receive the citizen who is most in demand at the moment. This is required for the development of many sectors of life, such as economics, culture, science and so on.
The typology of society in sociology is also taken into account by pedagogy so that, as a result of the educational process, to give students the knowledge and skills that will allow them to realize their full potential and become full members of society. This is the relevance of this problem.
The 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 the appeal of various thinkers to it 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 work, which became classic in this area. 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 across Western countries.
However, before the advent of Karl Marx’s research, scientists were more interested not in the typology of society in sociology and its types, but in directly dividing the population into classes. They often expressed their thoughts on how to change the current situation that does not suit their situation in modern society.
Karl Marx, summarizing the information available by this time on this problem, systematized them and outlined his typology of society in sociology.
What did the classic write about?
Karl Marx was an economist by education, therefore his theory is based on the provisions extracted from this branch of knowledge.
The basis of his version of the typology of society in sociology is the principle of separation according to the type of production of material goods, as well as forms of ownership.
The German scientist identified 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. No dividing into separate classes. Private property as such also does not exist. Leaders sometimes stand out among the tribes, but they are usually "first among equals." The belonging of an individual to a particular tribe is determined by birth.
This system is sometimes also called primitive communism. Since commodity-money relations do not exist in this social formation, and all material wealth is evenly distributed among the members of society.
Some modern scholars engaged in the study of relationships in primitive society say that in the so-called pre-monetary civilizations, contrary to the prevailing opinion, there were no transactions based on the exchange of goods. Instead, the advent of finance was preceded by a completely different principle of product distribution. In these types of civilizations, the so-called gift culture was prevalent.
This concept implies that the greatest respect and honor were enjoyed by those people who could afford to make large offerings to other members of society. For example, if a person had the necessary skills for successful hunting or fishing and his catch far exceeded the amount of food needed to provide food for his family, such a person would necessarily give surplus to those brothers who for one reason or another could not achieve such results.
Accordingly, the separation of some individuals in relation to others did not occur according to the principle of “who is stronger and richer,” but for more humane reasons.
Continuous development
Speaking about the typology of society in sociology, it is imperative to say that any team is not a static phenomenon, but constantly changing. These transformations occur most often in a natural way, that is, during evolution. The reasons for this development include events leading to changes in the economy and politics. However, there are precedents for violent interference in the natural course of history.
Over the past three centuries, you can find numerous examples of revolutions aimed at changing the social system. So, a primitive society, as has already been said, is not static, and in the course of certain processes it is highlighted to know, which at the same time leads to a dependent position of its other members.
Scientists gain knowledge of this not only from archeology materials, but also by studying the life of the tribes that are still at this stage of development.
Slavery
The next item of 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 a new class of slaves appears. Initially, only representatives of neighboring tribes captured as a result of armed conflict were considered as such.
Feudal system
Considering briefly the typology of society in sociology, the following can be said about the feudal formation. More complex social relationships appear here. Gradually, know also falls into various categories.
The relations between its representatives, as well as people subordinates in different eras significantly differed 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. This rule sounded like this: "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 - 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 can be called the uniform distribution of benefits between its participants, blurring the 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.
According to this criterion, all models of society can be divided into traditional, industrial and post-industrial society.
Traditional way
In such a society, production is poorly developed. Most people are employed in agriculture, livestock, hunting, and so on. Scientists say that such a lifestyle will certainly lead to the following characteristics of social relations. In such formations, as a rule, traditions and customs are very strong. They are considered on a par 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 activities themselves, which are considered to be 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 classification by type of main occupation, it is also worthwhile to dwell in detail on the consideration of the second group of societies - industrial. In such a pharmacy, most people are employed in the manufacturing sector.
The most popular professions, as well as the most developed forms of industrialization, the most prestigious professions are engineers and production managers.
Information society
This term refers to the stage in the development of society, which is, or at least, towards which the majority of European countries are currently moving. Speaking about the typology of society in sociology and its types, it is worth mentioning another fact.
Modern mankind has reached the stage of development at which the industry, although it plays one of the leading roles in providing people with life benefits, nevertheless, those related to the processing and production of information become the most popular specialties. This is due to a new round in the development of technology, in particular computers and the industries based on them. This means that at present, the need for people who can service the work of modern computers is increasing.
Also, in the information or post-industrial society, other professions are also in demand, related to the processing and storage of information. 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 area 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 typology of society exist in sociology. This is due to the fact that the team itself is an extremely complex phenomenon. Its manifestations are numerous. And since there are a lot of characteristics of society, the typology of society in sociology is a concept that has a large number of interpretations.
So, for example, there is a division of the lines into simple and complex (according to the degree of development of social stratification), Eastern and Western (according to geographical feature), Christian, Muslim, pagan, atheistic and the like (religious) and so on. Each society seeks to protect the foundations in it. Therefore, the division into classes exists in almost any mode as its necessary element.