What is development: objects and forms. Examples of development

Any form of living matter is prone to change, and they can occur both in the positive side, and in the negative. In the second case, this process is called regression or degradation, and it is characterized by a gradual deterioration in the state of a particular object or phenomenon. The reverse phenomenon, manifested as the improvement of something or someone, can be called progress or development. The above-described processes in the universe, as a rule, are also called involution and evolution.

In some specific cases, they may have the opposite meaning. For example, development, strengthening of the elements - for a person such a process will have a negative side. In this article, we learn what development is and what role it plays in the relationships of various objects of living nature.

General information

As mentioned earlier, development is an immanent process that occurs as a result of certain changes. It can be characterized by increasing the complexity of a particular system, improving adaptability to the environment, social progress, economic growth and improving its structure, as well as an increase in the scale of a phenomenon. In each case, this process performs a universal role - the achievement of a new result. It is difficult to say that such development as a whole, because each of its characteristics has certain features, which, in turn, are determined by the direction, the time dependence, the quantitative and qualitative change.

The process of development in living organisms

The natural scientist J. B Lamarck applied the idea of development to explain evolutionary theory. In it, the process of increasing the organization of living organisms is of a step-by-step nature. In other words, it can be said that, according to the views of the French scientist, nature arose by transforming simple forms into more complex ones. What is development and how it relates to the origin of man is described in the writings of the great naturalist and traveler Charles Darwin. The principle of this process is the basis of his concept of the evolution of living beings. A vivid example confirming this idea can serve as a theory that a person appeared as a result of the physical and spiritual development of the higher primates.

Qualitative and structural changes in the economy

Previously, we found out what development is in general, and now we will stop at such a variety of it as economic progress. This is a very important set of different processes, affecting the level and quality of life, on progress in science, education and culture, and on the productivity of the workforce. What is economic development, was determined by J. Schumpeter in 1911. He published a book called The Theory of Economic Development. It highlighted the differences between development and growth of the economy, and the essence of innovations in different types was identified and classified.

Divergence and convergence

Two of these patterns are very closely related to a process such as development. Let's try to understand in more detail. Divergence - the divergence of properties and characteristics in certain groups of organisms in the process of evolution. For example, as a result of the evolution (evolution) of unicellular flagellate forms, algae and fungi have occurred.

Convergence is a completely opposite concept. It implies a process of convergence (similarity) of living organisms. An example can serve as animals such as a pipe-tooth and a South American anteater. Initially, the animals belonged to the same family, because they were very similar. After some time, scientific studies have shown that their superficial similarity is the result of convergent development and is due to the same diet: termites and ants, which means that these living organisms, although located in the same ecological niche, can not belong to the same Family.

Social Progress

In the scientific works of O. Kant one can meet the "Course of Positive Philosophy", which brought to the author the greatest fame. In this work, the French philosopher describes the Law of the three stages of the intellectual development of mankind. Each stage is characterized by a certain period of time (the first - from the ancient centuries to 1300, the second - 1300-1800, the third - the 19th century). In each period of time, humanity passes through certain stages of development: theological, metaphysical and scientific, respectively.

Kant considers the first and second O. to be a period of fictions and false opinions, but after carefully studying the last step, one can already answer the question: "What is the development of the system (social)?" During this stage, society reorganizes, seeks to observe, and reason, and make new progressive discoveries. In each of the stages described above, humanity developed. Only thanks to the accumulated experience and knowledge, you now have the opportunity to live in a civilized world. What is human development? It is an adaptation to life, the desire to open new horizons, to master new skills with the aim of improving the quality of life. In any epoch people develop both spiritually and physically, and the suspension of this process can lead to a reduction in the population, famine and devastation.