R. D. Grillo
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294269
- eISBN:
- 9780191599378
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294263.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
There is no single crisis of the contemporary nation state, but a multiplicity of crises, one of which has centrally to do with ethnicity and cultural difference and how to handle pluralism. ...
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There is no single crisis of the contemporary nation state, but a multiplicity of crises, one of which has centrally to do with ethnicity and cultural difference and how to handle pluralism. Pluralism itself, however, has taken many forms, and three varieties are particularly interesting from a comparative perspective. In early patrimonial societies, as Max Weber called them, those with different ethnic and cultural identities often formed separate corporations within which they had relative autonomy. Under conditions of modernity and industrialism, the emphasis is on homogeneity and assimilation, while contemporary, post‐modern, post‐industrial societies often allow considerable space for heterogeneity and difference.Less
There is no single crisis of the contemporary nation state, but a multiplicity of crises, one of which has centrally to do with ethnicity and cultural difference and how to handle pluralism. Pluralism itself, however, has taken many forms, and three varieties are particularly interesting from a comparative perspective. In early patrimonial societies, as Max Weber called them, those with different ethnic and cultural identities often formed separate corporations within which they had relative autonomy. Under conditions of modernity and industrialism, the emphasis is on homogeneity and assimilation, while contemporary, post‐modern, post‐industrial societies often allow considerable space for heterogeneity and difference.
Michael Rustin
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198280088
- eISBN:
- 9780191599927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280084.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Michael Rustin examines Michael Walzer's theory of justice against the background of significant currents in modern socio‐philosophical thought. He argues that Walzer's attempt to revitalize the ...
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Michael Rustin examines Michael Walzer's theory of justice against the background of significant currents in modern socio‐philosophical thought. He argues that Walzer's attempt to revitalize the ideal of equality for contemporary industrial societies ultimately fails to establish equality as a moral goal of post‐modern societies. Rustin examines the extent to which a theory of justice rejecting abstract universality and historicist approaches can retain normative force.Less
Michael Rustin examines Michael Walzer's theory of justice against the background of significant currents in modern socio‐philosophical thought. He argues that Walzer's attempt to revitalize the ideal of equality for contemporary industrial societies ultimately fails to establish equality as a moral goal of post‐modern societies. Rustin examines the extent to which a theory of justice rejecting abstract universality and historicist approaches can retain normative force.
Ronald Inglehart
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198295686
- eISBN:
- 9780191600043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198295685.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Presents an analysis of the reasons for the post‐modern shift to declining respect for/deference to authority among the publics of advanced industrial societies, and of the accompanying growing ...
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Presents an analysis of the reasons for the post‐modern shift to declining respect for/deference to authority among the publics of advanced industrial societies, and of the accompanying growing support for democracy. The early sections discuss: the changing emphasis on key aspects of life during the shift from modernization to post‐modernization; the authoritarian reflex that occurs in periods of rapid change and insecurity—in contrast to the greater emphasis on individual autonomy and diminishing deference to authority under conditions of prosperity and security that occurs in the post‐modern shift; and declining confidence in hierarchical institutions in post‐modern societies. The later part of the chapter examines predicted and observed changes in cross‐national norms concerning the authority using data from the three waves of the World Values Survey (1981–1997). Using these same data, it also examines the decline of confidence in the most hierarchical institutions of the survey countries over this time period—i.e. the armed forces, the police, and the church, and looks at support for strong leadership in relation to percentage priority to post‐materialist goals.Less
Presents an analysis of the reasons for the post‐modern shift to declining respect for/deference to authority among the publics of advanced industrial societies, and of the accompanying growing support for democracy. The early sections discuss: the changing emphasis on key aspects of life during the shift from modernization to post‐modernization; the authoritarian reflex that occurs in periods of rapid change and insecurity—in contrast to the greater emphasis on individual autonomy and diminishing deference to authority under conditions of prosperity and security that occurs in the post‐modern shift; and declining confidence in hierarchical institutions in post‐modern societies. The later part of the chapter examines predicted and observed changes in cross‐national norms concerning the authority using data from the three waves of the World Values Survey (1981–1997). Using these same data, it also examines the decline of confidence in the most hierarchical institutions of the survey countries over this time period—i.e. the armed forces, the police, and the church, and looks at support for strong leadership in relation to percentage priority to post‐materialist goals.
Ole Riis and Linda Woodhead
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199567607
- eISBN:
- 9780191722493
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567607.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The three central topics of interest in this chapter — religion, emotion, and late modern society — are all the subject of extensive academic debate, but have not been brought together. This chapter ...
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The three central topics of interest in this chapter — religion, emotion, and late modern society — are all the subject of extensive academic debate, but have not been brought together. This chapter shows how the approach developed in the preceding chapters can shed light on religious emotion in the late modern context. A key theme of the analysis is that relations between social groups, their participants, and symbols are typically out of balance, and that this has destabilizing consequences for some religious emotional regimes, particularly those of historic forms of once ‘mainstream’ religion, most notably Christianity. The widespread destabilization and deregulation of religious emotion does not, however, mean that the late modern environment is inhospitable for religion: while it renders certain forms of emotional regime unsustainable, it opens up new possibilities for others.Less
The three central topics of interest in this chapter — religion, emotion, and late modern society — are all the subject of extensive academic debate, but have not been brought together. This chapter shows how the approach developed in the preceding chapters can shed light on religious emotion in the late modern context. A key theme of the analysis is that relations between social groups, their participants, and symbols are typically out of balance, and that this has destabilizing consequences for some religious emotional regimes, particularly those of historic forms of once ‘mainstream’ religion, most notably Christianity. The widespread destabilization and deregulation of religious emotion does not, however, mean that the late modern environment is inhospitable for religion: while it renders certain forms of emotional regime unsustainable, it opens up new possibilities for others.
Kenneth Newton
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198295686
- eISBN:
- 9780191600043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198295685.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Deals with three main topics: the nature and origins of social trust and its importance in society; trends in social trust in Western societies (with some comparisons with less developed societies); ...
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Deals with three main topics: the nature and origins of social trust and its importance in society; trends in social trust in Western societies (with some comparisons with less developed societies); and the relations between social and political trust, and their implications for theories of politics and society. In terms of the main concepts and measures of the book, and as outlined in the introductory chapter, social trust is a feature of the most basic level of community, while political trust refers primarily to attitudes about political institutions and leaders. The general assumption seems to be that social and political trust are closely linked, perhaps different sides of the same coin—social trust is regarded as a strong determinant of, or influence upon, political support of various kinds, including support for the political community, confidence in institutions, and trust in political leaders. As a result it is believed that the accumulation of social capital, in the form of social trust, will also result in the accumulation of political capital. Presents theory and evidence questioning these assumptions; it includes evidence comparing social trust in communal and modern societies, and of political trust in early modern and contemporary democracies.Less
Deals with three main topics: the nature and origins of social trust and its importance in society; trends in social trust in Western societies (with some comparisons with less developed societies); and the relations between social and political trust, and their implications for theories of politics and society. In terms of the main concepts and measures of the book, and as outlined in the introductory chapter, social trust is a feature of the most basic level of community, while political trust refers primarily to attitudes about political institutions and leaders. The general assumption seems to be that social and political trust are closely linked, perhaps different sides of the same coin—social trust is regarded as a strong determinant of, or influence upon, political support of various kinds, including support for the political community, confidence in institutions, and trust in political leaders. As a result it is believed that the accumulation of social capital, in the form of social trust, will also result in the accumulation of political capital. Presents theory and evidence questioning these assumptions; it includes evidence comparing social trust in communal and modern societies, and of political trust in early modern and contemporary democracies.
R. D. Grillo
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294269
- eISBN:
- 9780191599378
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294263.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
In the last third of the twentieth century, contrary to what modernity predicted, ethnic and cultural difference had a high salience, and contemporary societies in Europe and North America felt ...
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In the last third of the twentieth century, contrary to what modernity predicted, ethnic and cultural difference had a high salience, and contemporary societies in Europe and North America felt compelled to recognize this and implement policies of multiculturalism to cope with the demands that emanated from it. The reasons for this shift to the recognition of difference are complex, but it may be partly ascribed to the vast social, economic, and technological changes associated with post‐industrial economies under conditions of neoliberalism and globalization. In countries of immigration, transnationalism, too, enhanced the space of ethnic and cultural pluralism. Yet, pluralism may take many forms, and it is unclear whether the difference that will prevail in contemporary post‐modern societies will take the form of an essentialist version of multiculturalism, or some kind of ‘hybridity’.Less
In the last third of the twentieth century, contrary to what modernity predicted, ethnic and cultural difference had a high salience, and contemporary societies in Europe and North America felt compelled to recognize this and implement policies of multiculturalism to cope with the demands that emanated from it. The reasons for this shift to the recognition of difference are complex, but it may be partly ascribed to the vast social, economic, and technological changes associated with post‐industrial economies under conditions of neoliberalism and globalization. In countries of immigration, transnationalism, too, enhanced the space of ethnic and cultural pluralism. Yet, pluralism may take many forms, and it is unclear whether the difference that will prevail in contemporary post‐modern societies will take the form of an essentialist version of multiculturalism, or some kind of ‘hybridity’.
Chandran Kukathas
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199257546
- eISBN:
- 9780191599705
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019925754X.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter discusses the theory proposed in this book. It argues that this theory is indeed a liberal theory despite the fact that it is at odds with contemporary liberalism. It presents ...
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This chapter discusses the theory proposed in this book. It argues that this theory is indeed a liberal theory despite the fact that it is at odds with contemporary liberalism. It presents discussions on political philosophy and modern society, and the liberal archipelago.Less
This chapter discusses the theory proposed in this book. It argues that this theory is indeed a liberal theory despite the fact that it is at odds with contemporary liberalism. It presents discussions on political philosophy and modern society, and the liberal archipelago.
Adrian Davies
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208204
- eISBN:
- 9780191677953
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208204.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
The early Quakers denounced the clergy and social élite but how did that affect Friends' relationships with others? Drawing upon the insights of sociologists and ...
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The early Quakers denounced the clergy and social élite but how did that affect Friends' relationships with others? Drawing upon the insights of sociologists and anthropologists, this study sets out to discover the social consequences of religious belief. Why did the sect appoint its own midwives to attend Quaker women during confinement? Was animosity to Quakerism so great that Friends were excluded from involvement in parish life? And to what extent were the remarkably high literacy rates of Quakers attributable to the Quaker faith or wider social forces? Using a wide range of primary source material, this study demonstrates that Quakers were not the marginal and isolated people that contemporaries and historians often portrayed. Indeed the sect had a profound impact not only upon members, but more widely by encouraging a greater tolerance of diversity in early modern society.Less
The early Quakers denounced the clergy and social élite but how did that affect Friends' relationships with others? Drawing upon the insights of sociologists and anthropologists, this study sets out to discover the social consequences of religious belief. Why did the sect appoint its own midwives to attend Quaker women during confinement? Was animosity to Quakerism so great that Friends were excluded from involvement in parish life? And to what extent were the remarkably high literacy rates of Quakers attributable to the Quaker faith or wider social forces? Using a wide range of primary source material, this study demonstrates that Quakers were not the marginal and isolated people that contemporaries and historians often portrayed. Indeed the sect had a profound impact not only upon members, but more widely by encouraging a greater tolerance of diversity in early modern society.
Peter Y. Medding
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195128208
- eISBN:
- 9780199854592
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195128208.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
In the historical and economic reality of Eastern Europe in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the Lithuanian yeshivah and its “society of scholars” did not constitute a ...
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In the historical and economic reality of Eastern Europe in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the Lithuanian yeshivah and its “society of scholars” did not constitute a serious threat to the dual process of modernization and secularization, with all that this entailed. Only after the Holocaust, and within the framework of the modern, affluent society that developed in the Western world and in Israel, did the yeshivah succeed in becoming what may be characterized as the family-community, which to a great extent replaced the biological family, on the one hand, and the modem and secular sociocultural environment, on the other hand. This chapter analyzes both the symbiosis and the contradictions in relations between the family and the yeshivah as a family-community in the evolution of the haredi “society of scholars” that occurred within the framework of affluent modern societies.Less
In the historical and economic reality of Eastern Europe in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the Lithuanian yeshivah and its “society of scholars” did not constitute a serious threat to the dual process of modernization and secularization, with all that this entailed. Only after the Holocaust, and within the framework of the modern, affluent society that developed in the Western world and in Israel, did the yeshivah succeed in becoming what may be characterized as the family-community, which to a great extent replaced the biological family, on the one hand, and the modem and secular sociocultural environment, on the other hand. This chapter analyzes both the symbiosis and the contradictions in relations between the family and the yeshivah as a family-community in the evolution of the haredi “society of scholars” that occurred within the framework of affluent modern societies.
Erik N. Jensen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195395648
- eISBN:
- 9780199866564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195395648.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History, European Modern History
Boxing rings, whether in sports arenas or burlesque theaters, afforded men and women stages on which to create larger‐than‐life personas and to test the limits of socially acceptable ...
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Boxing rings, whether in sports arenas or burlesque theaters, afforded men and women stages on which to create larger‐than‐life personas and to test the limits of socially acceptable self‐presentation. Female boxers embraced the sport's physical combat as a strategy for getting ahead in a postwar Germany in which young women outnumbered the battle‐ravaged men in their age group and had increasingly to fend for themselves. Male boxers embraced the marketing potential of the sport by posing for early renditions of the male pin‐up photograph. Women often displayed themselves as “babes” in boxing trunks for the titillation of their public, but the men did, too. These boxers' carefully crafted public images popularized an ideal of working‐class toughness, the promise of upward mobility, and the allure of self‐invention in modern society.Less
Boxing rings, whether in sports arenas or burlesque theaters, afforded men and women stages on which to create larger‐than‐life personas and to test the limits of socially acceptable self‐presentation. Female boxers embraced the sport's physical combat as a strategy for getting ahead in a postwar Germany in which young women outnumbered the battle‐ravaged men in their age group and had increasingly to fend for themselves. Male boxers embraced the marketing potential of the sport by posing for early renditions of the male pin‐up photograph. Women often displayed themselves as “babes” in boxing trunks for the titillation of their public, but the men did, too. These boxers' carefully crafted public images popularized an ideal of working‐class toughness, the promise of upward mobility, and the allure of self‐invention in modern society.
Paul E. Willis
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691163697
- eISBN:
- 9781400865147
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691163697.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
This chapter offers some final insights on the dialectic relationships performed by both the motor-bike and hippy cultures, and identifies what constitutes as their cultural politics. Both cultures ...
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This chapter offers some final insights on the dialectic relationships performed by both the motor-bike and hippy cultures, and identifies what constitutes as their cultural politics. Both cultures took the unexplored side, the double edge, of commodities and cultural items around them to express and develop their own meanings. In the course of this cultural development they were also, however, exploring some of the massive contradictions and tensions in modern society. These cultures do not follow the guidelines of official culture, nor do they obey rules provided from outside or above. They are not even often recognized as unified cultures by agencies who pick up various fragmented aspects as ‘social problems’. They have rejected or never received what is known, valued, and revered. They live amid provided, cheap commodities. For all this, they have the essential, rare, irreverent gift of profanity: creativity.Less
This chapter offers some final insights on the dialectic relationships performed by both the motor-bike and hippy cultures, and identifies what constitutes as their cultural politics. Both cultures took the unexplored side, the double edge, of commodities and cultural items around them to express and develop their own meanings. In the course of this cultural development they were also, however, exploring some of the massive contradictions and tensions in modern society. These cultures do not follow the guidelines of official culture, nor do they obey rules provided from outside or above. They are not even often recognized as unified cultures by agencies who pick up various fragmented aspects as ‘social problems’. They have rejected or never received what is known, valued, and revered. They live amid provided, cheap commodities. For all this, they have the essential, rare, irreverent gift of profanity: creativity.
Peter Brooks
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151588
- eISBN:
- 9781400839698
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151588.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter begins by looking at a very literal form of marks of identity—fingerprints—then examines the obsession of modern societies with issues of identity. While the notion of identity is not ...
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This chapter begins by looking at a very literal form of marks of identity—fingerprints—then examines the obsession of modern societies with issues of identity. While the notion of identity is not new—especially as a philosophical topic—a widespread concern with one's personal identity, and its relations to “the others” among whom one lives, seems to have emerged with greater intensity with the Enlightenment, and to gain force throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and into modern time. To the extent that a characteristic of modernity is a new valuation of the individual, the obsession with identity follows almost inevitably.Less
This chapter begins by looking at a very literal form of marks of identity—fingerprints—then examines the obsession of modern societies with issues of identity. While the notion of identity is not new—especially as a philosophical topic—a widespread concern with one's personal identity, and its relations to “the others” among whom one lives, seems to have emerged with greater intensity with the Enlightenment, and to gain force throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and into modern time. To the extent that a characteristic of modernity is a new valuation of the individual, the obsession with identity follows almost inevitably.
Gregor Thum
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691140247
- eISBN:
- 9781400839964
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691140247.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines how the study of local history as an “act of self-reassurance” has grown in importance as societies have become mobile and people are less tied to a specific location. Historian ...
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This chapter examines how the study of local history as an “act of self-reassurance” has grown in importance as societies have become mobile and people are less tied to a specific location. Historian Helmut Flachenecker writes of modern society that one is no longer the citizen of a location primarily by birth, but rather by history. This is true to an extreme degree of the Polish city of Wroclaw, whose society came into being as the result of a complete population exchange. Societies of this kind typically yearn for tradition just as much as they lack it. Only by identifying collectively with the history of the city could a coherent citizenry develop out of a random assortment of settlers thrown together by the population shifts of postwar Poland.Less
This chapter examines how the study of local history as an “act of self-reassurance” has grown in importance as societies have become mobile and people are less tied to a specific location. Historian Helmut Flachenecker writes of modern society that one is no longer the citizen of a location primarily by birth, but rather by history. This is true to an extreme degree of the Polish city of Wroclaw, whose society came into being as the result of a complete population exchange. Societies of this kind typically yearn for tradition just as much as they lack it. Only by identifying collectively with the history of the city could a coherent citizenry develop out of a random assortment of settlers thrown together by the population shifts of postwar Poland.
Albert O. Hirschman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159904
- eISBN:
- 9781400848409
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159904.003.0009
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Theory
This chapter takes up several critiques on the early nineteenth-century social and economic order—capitalism—and their interrelations. First, the chapter shows the close relationship and direct ...
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This chapter takes up several critiques on the early nineteenth-century social and economic order—capitalism—and their interrelations. First, the chapter shows the close relationship and direct contradiction between an early argument in favor of market society and a subsequent principal critique of capitalism. Next, the chapter points to the contradictions between this critique and another diagnosis of the ills from which much of modern capitalist society is said to suffer. And finally the tables are turned on this second critique by yet another set of ideas. In all three cases, the chapter reveals an almost total lack of communication between the conflicting theses.Less
This chapter takes up several critiques on the early nineteenth-century social and economic order—capitalism—and their interrelations. First, the chapter shows the close relationship and direct contradiction between an early argument in favor of market society and a subsequent principal critique of capitalism. Next, the chapter points to the contradictions between this critique and another diagnosis of the ills from which much of modern capitalist society is said to suffer. And finally the tables are turned on this second critique by yet another set of ideas. In all three cases, the chapter reveals an almost total lack of communication between the conflicting theses.
Milton J. Lewis
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195175486
- eISBN:
- 9780199999903
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195175486.003.0008
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine Research
This chapter discusses and reviews subjects such as the effects of the heritage of medical reductionism on the care of the dying and the cultural sources of caring in “secular” and late-modern ...
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This chapter discusses and reviews subjects such as the effects of the heritage of medical reductionism on the care of the dying and the cultural sources of caring in “secular” and late-modern societies such as those in Anglo-Saxon countries.Less
This chapter discusses and reviews subjects such as the effects of the heritage of medical reductionism on the care of the dying and the cultural sources of caring in “secular” and late-modern societies such as those in Anglo-Saxon countries.
Dennis L. Krebs
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199778232
- eISBN:
- 9780199897261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199778232.003.0025
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter opens with a description of four phases in the evolution of human societies. In the first phase, humans formed small hierarchically-organized groups similar to those of other primates. ...
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This chapter opens with a description of four phases in the evolution of human societies. In the first phase, humans formed small hierarchically-organized groups similar to those of other primates. In the second phase, they formed egalitarian groups similar to contemporary hunters and gatherers. In the third phase, they formed tribal coalitions, and in the final phase, they created the large complex societies in which most modern humans live. The unique forms of deference, self-control, altruism, and cooperation that uphold the social structures of modern societies are described, and evidence that human are disposed to behave in these ways is reviewed. Although humans help their offspring and other relatives, engage in simple forms of concrete reciprocity, and display emotional reactions that seem similar to those of other primates, they also help people from third world countries, participate in highly complex systems of cooperation, and communicate their thoughts and feelings symbolically.Less
This chapter opens with a description of four phases in the evolution of human societies. In the first phase, humans formed small hierarchically-organized groups similar to those of other primates. In the second phase, they formed egalitarian groups similar to contemporary hunters and gatherers. In the third phase, they formed tribal coalitions, and in the final phase, they created the large complex societies in which most modern humans live. The unique forms of deference, self-control, altruism, and cooperation that uphold the social structures of modern societies are described, and evidence that human are disposed to behave in these ways is reviewed. Although humans help their offspring and other relatives, engage in simple forms of concrete reciprocity, and display emotional reactions that seem similar to those of other primates, they also help people from third world countries, participate in highly complex systems of cooperation, and communicate their thoughts and feelings symbolically.
TILL WAHNBAECK
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199269839
- eISBN:
- 9780191710056
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199269839.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Economic History
This chapter discusses how the notion of luxury in Europe changed over the course of the 18th century. It explains that luxury became the driving force of modern commercial society because it ...
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This chapter discusses how the notion of luxury in Europe changed over the course of the 18th century. It explains that luxury became the driving force of modern commercial society because it provided an incentive to work. It examines the economic thoughts expressed by the great thinkers in Europe. It also investigates the cultures of enlightenment in a regional context.Less
This chapter discusses how the notion of luxury in Europe changed over the course of the 18th century. It explains that luxury became the driving force of modern commercial society because it provided an incentive to work. It examines the economic thoughts expressed by the great thinkers in Europe. It also investigates the cultures of enlightenment in a regional context.
Alan Ryan
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691148403
- eISBN:
- 9781400841950
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691148403.003.0026
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This chapter examines the connection between John Dewey's pragmatism and his ideas about education, and how his conception of philosophy is related to his views about the character of modern society ...
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This chapter examines the connection between John Dewey's pragmatism and his ideas about education, and how his conception of philosophy is related to his views about the character of modern society in general, and modern American society in particular. It first considers the difficulty that many readers have in knowing quite what Dewey wanted to say about philosophy, education, and many other subjects, before expounding on his educational ideas. The focus is on Dewey's early writings—that is, what he wrote during the ten years he was in Chicago and in the years immediately after that. The reason is that on education, these were the years of his greatest inventiveness, and thereafter he mostly defended himself against misunderstanding. On Dewey's politics, the chapter explores his views on American nationalism in the context of World War I.Less
This chapter examines the connection between John Dewey's pragmatism and his ideas about education, and how his conception of philosophy is related to his views about the character of modern society in general, and modern American society in particular. It first considers the difficulty that many readers have in knowing quite what Dewey wanted to say about philosophy, education, and many other subjects, before expounding on his educational ideas. The focus is on Dewey's early writings—that is, what he wrote during the ten years he was in Chicago and in the years immediately after that. The reason is that on education, these were the years of his greatest inventiveness, and thereafter he mostly defended himself against misunderstanding. On Dewey's politics, the chapter explores his views on American nationalism in the context of World War I.
Lawrence Stone
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202547
- eISBN:
- 9780191675393
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202547.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter presents historical background on separation and divorce in pre-modern society and various legal or judicial processes involved in marriage and divorce. It introduces the case studies of ...
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This chapter presents historical background on separation and divorce in pre-modern society and various legal or judicial processes involved in marriage and divorce. It introduces the case studies of this book that illustrate, through detailed narratives of individual lives, just how marriages broke up in early modern England. The stories in this volume are based on what for England appears to be a uniquely rich set of documents. This volume is concerned almost exclusively with marital breakdowns among the very rich. Some hints of the scale of marital breakdown among the poor, and even of its causes, can be gleaned from other sources, namely those concerned with poor relief.Less
This chapter presents historical background on separation and divorce in pre-modern society and various legal or judicial processes involved in marriage and divorce. It introduces the case studies of this book that illustrate, through detailed narratives of individual lives, just how marriages broke up in early modern England. The stories in this volume are based on what for England appears to be a uniquely rich set of documents. This volume is concerned almost exclusively with marital breakdowns among the very rich. Some hints of the scale of marital breakdown among the poor, and even of its causes, can be gleaned from other sources, namely those concerned with poor relief.
Douglas C. Comer
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520204294
- eISBN:
- 9780520918702
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520204294.003.0002
- Subject:
- Anthropology, American and Canadian Cultural Anthropology
This chapter looks at the realms of meaning, created through ritual, as they appeared and formed in both traditional and modern societies, explaining that, in ritual behavior, people influence one ...
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This chapter looks at the realms of meaning, created through ritual, as they appeared and formed in both traditional and modern societies, explaining that, in ritual behavior, people influence one another by expression of all kinds and that the meanings of experiences always have something to do with relationships with other humans. It also discusses the neotenic characteristics of humans and their tendency to act out the role of the idealized parent, which serve as the basis for ritual. The chapter furthermore highlights the many similarities between the traditional and modern worlds, which indicate a fundamental sameness despite superficial differences.Less
This chapter looks at the realms of meaning, created through ritual, as they appeared and formed in both traditional and modern societies, explaining that, in ritual behavior, people influence one another by expression of all kinds and that the meanings of experiences always have something to do with relationships with other humans. It also discusses the neotenic characteristics of humans and their tendency to act out the role of the idealized parent, which serve as the basis for ritual. The chapter furthermore highlights the many similarities between the traditional and modern worlds, which indicate a fundamental sameness despite superficial differences.
