Social development and social progress of society. Criteria of social progress

Social development and social progress are the fundamental themes in the study of social science. Almost all modern world is covered with profound changes. In social reality, the intensity of change constantly increases: arise during the lifetime of one generation and some forms of the organization of life collapse, others are born. This applies not only to individual societies, but also to the world order as a whole.

To describe the dynamics of society in sociology, the following basic concepts are used: social change, social development and social progress. Society is never immovable. In it, all the time something happens, it changes. People, realizing their own needs, master new types of communication and activity, acquire new statuses, change the environment, join new roles in society, change themselves as a result of a change of generations, and during their lifetime.

Contradictory and uneven social changes

The social changes are contradictory and uneven. The notion of social progress is contradictory. This is mainly found in the fact that the development of many social phenomena and processes leads both to advance in one direction, and to return back, to retreat into others. Very many changes in society have such a contradictory nature. Only some changes are imperceptible, others significantly affect the life of society. For example, it changed greatly after the invention of the plow, steam engine, writing, computer. On the one hand, during the life of the generation in the industrialized countries there are huge changes in the life of society. It is changing beyond recognition. On the other hand, societies in which the changes are very slow (Australia or African primitive systems) continue to exist in the world.

What is the reason for the contradictory nature of social change?

The mismatch in the society of the social interests of different groups, as well as the fact that their representatives perceive the changes taking place differently, is conditioned by the inconsistency of social changes. For example, the need to secure a decent existence forms the employee's interest in selling his labor force as much as possible. Realizing the same need, the entrepreneur strives to acquire cheaper labor. Therefore, some social groups can positively perceive changes in the organization of work, while in others it will not bring satisfaction.

Social development

Among the many changes can be identified qualitative, irreversible and directed. Today they are called social development. We define this concept more strictly. Social development is a change in society, leading to the emergence of new relationships, values and norms, social institutions. It is associated with the increment, accumulation, complication of functions and structures of the social system. As a result of these processes, the system becomes more efficient. The ability to meet the different needs of people is increasing. The development of personal qualities of individuals is an important indicator and result of social development.

Defining this concept, it should be noted that it expresses a regular, directed and irreversible change in social processes or phenomena. As a result, they pass into a certain new qualitative state, that is, their structure or composition changes. Social development of society as a concept already, than a social change. It can not be called development periods of crises, chaos, wars, totalitarianism, which affect negatively the life of society.

Social revolution and social evolution

Two approaches to the consideration of social development are clearly discernible in sociology. This is a social revolution and social evolution. The latter is usually understood as a gradual, gradual, gradual development of society. On the contrary, the social revolution is a radical transition to a new, changing qualitative leap in all aspects of life.

Progress and regress

Changes in society are not always chaotic. They have a certain direction, denoted by such concepts as regression or progress. The notion of social progress serves to designate a direction in the development of society in which its progressive movement from lower and simple forms of social life to an increasingly higher and complex, more perfect. In particular, these are changes that lead to the growth of social justice and freedom, more complete equality, better living conditions.

The course of history was not always smooth and even. There were also kinks (zigzags), turns. Crises, world wars, local conflicts, the establishment of fascist regimes were accompanied by negative changes affecting the life of society. Social phenomena, evaluated initially as positive, in addition, could lead to negative consequences. For example, urbanization and industrialization have long been considered synonymous with progress. However, relatively recently started talking about the negative effects of destruction and pollution of the environment, traffic jams on highways, overcrowded cities. Progress is said when the sum of the positive consequences of these or other social changes exceeds the sum of the negative ones. If there is an inverse relationship, it is a matter of social regression.

The latter is the opposite of the first and represents a movement from the complex to the simple, from the higher to the lower, from the whole to the parts and so on. However, on the whole, the line of historical development has a progressive, positive orientation. Social development and social progress are global processes. Progress characterizes the movement of society forward throughout the course of historical development. Whereas regression is only local. Individual societies and time intervals are noted.

Reform and revolution

Distinguish such types of social progress, as spasmodic and gradual. Gradual is called reformist, and spasmodic is revolutionary. Accordingly, two forms of social progress are reform and revolution. The first is a partial improvement in some area of life. These are gradual transformations that do not affect the foundations of the existing social system. On the contrary, the revolution is a complex change in the majority of the forces of all aspects of society, which affects the foundations of the existing system. It has a spasmodic character. It is necessary to distinguish between two forms of social progress - reform and revolution.

Criteria of social progress

In themselves, value judgments such as "progressively-reactionary", "better-worse" are subjective. Social development and social progress can not be unequivocally evaluated in this sense. However, if such judgments reflect social interactions and links that are objectively forming in society, then they are not only subjective in this sense, but also objective. Social development and social progress can be rigorously evaluated. Different criteria are used for this.

In different scientists, the criteria for social progress are by no means identical. The following are generally recognized in a generalized form:

- level of knowledge, development of the human mind;

- Improving morality;

- development of productive forces, including the man himself;

- the nature and level of consumption and production;

- the development of technology and science;

- degree of integration and differentiation of society;

- socio-political freedoms and individual rights;

- the degree of its freedom from society and the elemental forces of nature;

- average life expectancy.

The higher these indicators, the higher the social progress and development of society.

Man - the goal and the main criterion of social progress

The main indicator of the regressivity or progressiveness of social changes is precisely the person, his physical, material, moral condition, all-round and free development of personality. That is, in the modern system of social and humanitarian knowledge, there is a humanistic concept that determines social progress and the development of society. Man is his goal and the main criterion.

HDI

UN experts in 1990 developed the HDI (human development index). With its help, it is possible to take into account both social and economic components of the quality of life. This integral indicator is calculated annually for comparison between countries and measuring the level of education, literacy, life and longevity of the study territory. When comparing the living standards of different regions and countries, this is a standard tool. The HDI is defined as the arithmetic mean of the following three indicators:

- the level of literacy (the average number of years spent on training), as well as the expected duration of training;

- life expectancy;

- standard of living.

Countries, depending on the value of this index, are classified according to the level of development as follows: 42 countries - very high level of development, 43 - high, 42 - medium, 42 - low. The top five states with the highest HDI include (in order of magnitude) Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Australia and Norway.

Declaration of social progress and development

This document was adopted in 1969 by the UN resolution. The main objectives of the policy of social development and progress that all governments and states are required to undertake are to ensure fair remuneration for work without discrimination, the establishment of a minimum level of payment by States that is high enough to ensure an acceptable standard of living, the eradication of poverty and hunger . The Declaration guides countries to ensure the improvement of people's living standards, as well as to a uniform and fair distribution of income. Social development of Russia is also carried out in accordance with this declaration.

Social progress leads to the fact that rare, even refined initial needs gradually become socially normal. This process is obvious even without scientific research, it is enough for this to compare the set and level of modern needs with what was several decades ago.

Obstacles to social progress

On the path of social progress there are only two obstacles - the state and religion. The monster-state is supported by the fiction of God. The origin of religion is due to the fact that people endowed fictional gods with their own hypertrophied abilities, strengths and qualities.