Contemporary society

About: Contemporary society is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3991 publications have been published within this topic receiving 91755 citations.

Notes on the Technicways in Contemporary Society

Abstract: I REMEMBER a few years ago one of our distinguished sociologists wrote me about the term social prepotency which I used as indicating something of the power of the folk in societal evolution. The folk, the common mass people, the folk capacity, I thought, might be postulated as a sort of historical constant in a world of cultural variables. And I thought that if we could somehow analyze and measure the elements of such folkpower, we might know more about the ongoings of society. My friend wrote me that this idea, and some of my other ideas, would appear to have something, perhaps something worth while in them, in so far as he could ever understand what I was trying to set forth. He then translated my own terms into such other jargon as I could in nowise understand. My present state of mind is that he was right and I was right and that the next steps were to be found in the clearer definition of our terms and better illustrations of our postulates. In the present discussion of the role of the technicways in modern society, I am faced with the same dilemma and more of it. For the essence of the present discussion is found in the term technicways and its implications as a composite concept as well as a specific form of the social process. The assumption is that in the technicways we have a phenomenon as important as the old folkways and mores and as subversive of them as some of the later developments of science and chemurgy were to some of the Malthusian population assumptions. The technicways, to use a figure from Professor von Beckerath, approximate perversion rather than subversion of the folkways. These assumptions, of course, imply an understanding of the basic factors of folk sociology through which the phenomenon of technicways can best be studied. The assumptions further are twofold-the one essentially theoretical and explanatory, the other practical and telic. Thus, the role of the technicways challenges boldly the application of sociological theory to realistic society.

Contemporary Society: An Introduction to Social Science

Abstract: This best-selling text emphasizes why social and cultural changes are the pervasive realities of our time. A key theme of Contemporary Society is that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in today’s world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order today, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose, more often bringing conflict and disunity. Still, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability--some shelter in a sea of change. Ever more, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, which helps propel separate groups of people into a global entity.This introduction to the social sciences shows what the authors have learned from such disciplines as anthropology, geography, history, sociology, psychology, political science, and economics--and how to apply social science approaches to an ever-faster tempo of change. The authors cover family life, interaction with others, racial and ethnic diversity, education, religion, population, environment, and many other topics analyzed in a student-friendly approach. New to this Edition The integration and flow of the text has been improved for better student comprehension. Expanded selection of Web Links to many more sites for student research, many relevant to their interests and entertainment choices Enriched focus on applying social science knowledge to current events (transcending a complete reliance on assumptions from the media) New/expanded coverage on topics throughout the book, including New findings from global warming research and its implications for social life and policy New developments in race relations in an integrated approach throughout many chapters Deepening inequality and the implications that threaten family, education, and student futures—nationally and globally Gender, including new developments in legal gay marriage and transgender Expanded coverage of genetics and the medical potential of human genome sequencing New developments in astrophysics and their potential implications for society Updated Statistics throughout

Towards a school-based ‘critical data education’

Abstract: The ongoing ‘datafication’ of contemporary society has a number of implications for schools and schooling. One is the increasing calls for schools to help develop young people’s understandings abou...

Lifelong Learning Between "East" and "West": Confucianism and the Reflexive Project of the Self

Abstract: Current theory, policy, and practice of lifelong learning are strongly influenced by ideas about the transformations that are taking place in contemporary societies. One influential set of ideas emphasizes that because of the rapid changes that are taking place in the (late-) modern world and because of the erosion of traditions, there is a constant need for individuals not only to learn new skills and knowledge in order to be able to adjust themselves to the changes, but also to reflexively (re)construct one’s self. Anthony Giddens has referred to this as the “reflexive project of the self.” It thus becomes a lifelong learning task. In this paper we raise some critical questions about Giddens’s views and their implications for lifelong learning. On the one hand we show, using ideas from Charles Taylor, that the construction of the self does not necessarily have to be understood in the reflexive and individualistic terms suggested by Giddens. With Taylor we argue for the importance of the social, moral, and intersubjective dimensions of the construction of the self. Against this background we then discuss ideas from Confucianism that also highlight the social, moral, and intersubjective dimensions of understanding the self. The latter view is not simply a theoretical option but actually continues to influence the ways in which a large part of the world population views their lives and their selves. Both for theoretical and practical reasons we therefore suggest that there is a need to take a broader outlook on what the personal dimensions of lifelong learning in contemporary society might look like.