Typology of society. Pre-industrial society

The classic characteristic of industrial society suggests that it is formed as a result of the development of machine production and the emergence of new forms of mass labor organization. Historically, this stage corresponded to the social situation in Western Europe in 1800-1960

General characteristics

The generally accepted characteristics of an industrial society include several fundamental features. What are they? First, an industrial society is based on developed industry. It has a division of labor that helps increase productivity. An important feature is competition. Without it, the description of industrial society would be incomplete.

Capitalism leads to the fact that it is actively growing entrepreneurial activity brave and enterprising people. At the same time, civil society is developing, as well as the state management system. It becomes more efficient and more complex. It is impossible to imagine an industrial society without modern means of communication, urbanized cities and high quality life of the average citizen.

Technology development

Any characteristic of an industrial society, in short, includes such a phenomenon as the industrial revolution. It was she who allowed Great Britain to cease being an agricultural country for the first time in human history. When the economy begins to rely not on the cultivation of agricultural crops, but on new industry, the first shoots of an industrial society appear.

At the same time, there is a noticeable redistribution of labor resources. The labor force leaves agriculture and goes to the cities to work in factories. Up to 15% of the state's residents remain in the agricultural sector. The growth of the urban population also contributes to the revival of trade.

In production, entrepreneurial activity becomes the main factor. The presence of this phenomenon is a characteristic of industrial society. This relationship was first briefly described by the Austrian and American economist Joseph Schumpeter. On this path, society at a certain moment experiences a scientific and technological revolution. After this, the post-industrial period begins, which already corresponds to modernity.

Free society

With the advent of industrialization, society becomes socially mobile. This allows people to break the boundaries that exist under the traditional order characteristic of the Middle Ages and the agricultural economy. The boundaries between classes are blurring in the state. Caste disappears in them. In other words, people can get rich and become successful thanks to their efforts and skills, without looking back at their own origins.

The characteristic of an industrial society is significant economic growth, which occurs due to an increase in the number of highly qualified specialists. In society, in the first place are technicians and scientists who determine the future of the country. This order is also called technocracy or the power of technology. The work of traders, advertising specialists and other people occupying a special position in the social structure becomes more significant and significant.

The folding of nation states

Scientists have determined that the main characteristics of an industrial society boil down to the fact that industrial society becomes dominant in all areas of life from culture to economy. Along with urbanization and changes in social stratification comes the emergence of nation states, stacked around common language. The unique culture of the ethnic group also plays a large role in this process.

In medieval agrarian society, the national factor was not so significant. In the Catholic kingdoms of the 14th century, belonging to one or another feudal lord was much more important. Even armies existed on the principle of hiring. And only in the 19th century the principle of national recruitment into the state armed forces was finally formed.

Demography

The demographic situation is changing. What are the characteristics of an industrial society hidden here? Signs of change boil down to a decrease in the birth rate in one average family. People devote more time to their own education, standards in relation to the presence of offspring are changing. All this affects the number of children in one classic “unit of society.”

But at the same time, the mortality rate is also falling. This is due to the development of medicine. Doctors' services and medicines are becoming more accessible to a wider segment of the population. Life expectancy increases. More people die in old age than in young people (for example, from disease or war).

Consumer society

The enrichment of people in the industrial era led to the emergence of the desire to buy and acquire as much as possible. A new value system is emerging, which is built around the importance of material wealth.

The term was coined by the German sociologist Erich Fromm. In this context, he emphasized the importance of reducing working hours, increasing the proportion of free time, and blurring the boundaries between classes. This is the characteristic of an industrial society. The table shows the main features of this period of human development.

Popular culture

The classic characteristic of an industrial society by spheres of life is that consumption increases in each of them. Production begins to focus on the standards determined by the so-called This phenomenon is one of the most striking signs of an industrial society.

What is it? Mass culture formulates the basic psychological attitudes of consumer society in the industrial era. Art becomes accessible to everyone. It, wittingly or unwittingly, promotes certain norms of behavior. They can be called fashion or lifestyle. In the West, the rise of mass culture was accompanied by its commercialization and the creation of show business.

John Galbraith's theory

Industrial society was carefully studied by many scientists of the 20th century. One of the outstanding economists in this row is John Galbraith. He substantiated several fundamental laws with the help of which the characteristics of industrial society are formulated. No less than 7 provisions of his theory have become fundamental for new trends of our time.

Galbraith believed that the development of industrial society led not only to the establishment of capitalism, but also to the creation of monopolies. Large corporations in free market economic conditions amass wealth and absorb competitors. They control production, trade, capital, as well as progress in science and technology.

Strengthening the economic role of the state

An important characteristic according to John Galbraith's theory is that in a country with such a system of relationships, the state increases its intervention in the economy. Before this, in the agrarian era of the Middle Ages, the authorities simply did not have the resources to radically influence the market. In an industrial society the situation is completely opposite.

The economist, in his own way, noted the development of technology in the new era. By this term he meant the application of systematized new knowledge in production. The demands lead to the triumph of corporations and the state in the economy. This is due to the fact that they become the owners of unique scientific production developments.

At the same time, Galbraith believed that under industrial capitalism the capitalists themselves had lost their former influence. Now having money did not mean power and importance at all. Instead of owners, scientific and technical specialists come to the fore, who can offer new modern inventions and production techniques. This is the characteristic of an industrial society. According to Galbraith's plan, the former working class is being eroded under these conditions. The strained relations between proletarians and capitalists are fading away thanks to technological progress and equalization of incomes for graduates.

Stage theory economic growth- W. Rostow’s concept, according to which history is divided into five stages:

1- “traditional society” - all societies before capitalism, characterized by low levels of labor productivity, dominance in the economy agriculture;

2- “transitional society”, coinciding with the transition to pre-monopoly capitalism;

3- “shift period”, characterized by industrial revolutions and the beginning of industrialization;

4- “period of maturity”, characterized by the completion of industrialization and the emergence of industrially highly developed countries;

5- "the era of high levels of mass consumption."

Traditional society is a society that is regulated by tradition. Preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development. The social structure in it is characterized (especially in Eastern countries) by a rigid class hierarchy and the existence of stable social communities, a special way of regulating the life of society, based on traditions and customs. This organization of society strives to preserve the socio-cultural foundations of life unchanged. Traditional society is an agrarian society.

A traditional society is usually characterized by:

· traditional economy

· predominance of the agricultural way of life;

· structural stability;

· class organization;

· low mobility;

· high mortality rate;

· high birth rate;

· low life expectancy.

A traditional person perceives the world and the established order of life as something inextricably integral, holistic, sacred and not subject to change. A person’s place in society and his status are determined by tradition (usually by birthright).

In a traditional society, collectivist attitudes prevail, individualism is not welcomed (since freedom of individual action can lead to a violation of the established order, which ensures the survival of society as a whole and is time-tested). In general, traditional societies are characterized by the primacy of collective interests over private ones, including the primacy of the interests of existing hierarchical structures (state, clan, etc.). What is valued is not so much individual capacity as the place in the hierarchy (official, class, clan, etc.) that a person occupies.

In a traditional society, as a rule, relations of redistribution rather than market exchange predominate, and elements market economy are strictly regulated. This is due to the fact that free market relations increase social mobility and change the social structure of society (in particular, they destroy class); the redistribution system can be regulated by tradition, but market prices cannot; forced redistribution prevents “unauthorized” enrichment/impoverishment of both individuals and classes. The pursuit of economic gain in traditional society is often morally condemned and opposed to selfless help.

In a traditional society, most people live their entire lives in a local community (for example, a village), and connections with the “big society” are rather weak. At the same time family ties, on the contrary, are very strong.

The worldview (ideology) of a traditional society is determined by tradition and authority.

Traditional society is extremely stable. As the famous demographer and sociologist Anatoly Vishnevsky writes, “everything in it is interconnected and it is very difficult to remove or change any one element.”

Industrial society is a type of economically developed society in which the predominant industry national economy is industry.

Industrial society is characterized by the development of the division of labor, mass production of goods, mechanization and automation of production, the development of mass communications, the service sector, high mobility and urbanization, and the increasing role of the state in regulating the socio-economic sphere.

· Establishment of the industrial technological structure as dominant in all public spheres(from economic to cultural)

· Change in the proportions of employment by industry: a significant reduction in the share of people employed in agriculture (up to 3-5%) and an increase in the share of people employed in industry (up to 50-60%) and the service sector (up to 40-45%)

· Intensive urbanization

· The emergence of a nation-state organized around a common language and culture

· Educational (cultural) revolution. The transition to universal literacy and the formation of national education systems

· Political revolution leading to the establishment of political rights and freedoms (example: all suffrage)

· Growth in the level of consumption (“consumption revolution”, formation of the “welfare state”)

· Changing the structure of working and free time (formation of a “consumer society”)

· Changes in the demographic type of development (low birth rate, mortality rate, increase in life expectancy, aging of the population, i.e. increase in the proportion of older age groups).

Post-industrial society is a society in which the service sector has priority development and prevails over the volume of industrial production and agricultural production. In the social structure of post-industrial society, the number of people employed in the service sector is increasing and new elites are being formed: technocrats, scientists.

This concept was first proposed by D. Bell in 1962. It recorded its entry in the late 50s and early 60s. developed Western countries, which have exhausted the potential of industrial production, into a qualitatively new stage of development.

It is characterized by a decrease in the share and importance of industrial production due to the growth of the services and information sectors. Production of services becomes the main sector economic activity. Thus, in the United States, about 90% of the employed population now works in the information and services sector. Based on these changes, there is a rethinking of all the basic characteristics of industrial society, a fundamental change in theoretical guidelines.

The first “phenomenon” of such a person is considered to be the youth rebellion of the late 60s, which meant the end of the Protestant work ethic as the moral basis of Western industrial civilization. Economic growth ceases to act as the main, much less the only guideline, goal of social development. The emphasis is shifting to social and humanitarian problems. The priority issues are the quality and safety of life, and the self-realization of the individual. New criteria for welfare and social well-being are being formed. Post-industrial society is also defined as a “post-class” society, which reflects the collapse of stable social structures and identities characteristic of industrial society. If previously the status of an individual in society was determined by his place in the economic structure, i.e. class affiliation to which all others were subordinated social characteristics, then now the status characteristics of an individual are determined by many factors, among which education and level of culture play an increasing role (what P. Bourdieu called “cultural capital”). On this basis, D. Bell and a number of other Western sociologists put forward the idea of a new “service” class. Its essence is that in a post-industrial society there is no economic and political elite, and the intellectuals and professionals who make up the new class hold power. In reality, a fundamental change in the distribution of economic and political power didn't happen. Claims about the “death of class” also seem clearly exaggerated and premature. However, significant changes in the structure of society, associated primarily with the change in the role of knowledge and its carriers in society, are undoubtedly occurring (see information society). Thus, we can agree with D. Bell’s statement that “the changes that are captured by the term post-industrial society may mean the historical metamorphosis of Western society.”

The information society is a society in which the majority of workers are engaged in the production, storage, processing and sale of information, especially its highest form - knowledge.

Scientists believe that in the information society, the computerization process will give people access to reliable sources of information, relieve them of routine work, and ensure a high level of automation of information processing in the industrial and social spheres. Driving force The development of society should be the production of an informational rather than a material product. The material product will become more information-intensive, which means an increase in the share of innovation, design and marketing in its value.

In the information society, not only production will change, but also the entire way of life, the value system, the importance of cultural leisure will increase in relation to material assets. Compared to an industrial society, where everything is aimed at the production and consumption of goods, in the information society intelligence and knowledge are produced and consumed, which leads to an increase in the share of mental labor. A person will need the ability to be creative, and the demand for knowledge will increase.

The material and technological base of the information society will be various kinds systems based on computer equipment and computer networks, information technology, telecommunications.

SIGNS OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

· Society's awareness of the priority of information over other products of human activity.

· The fundamental basis of all areas of human activity (economic, industrial, political, educational, scientific, creative, cultural, etc.) is information.

· Information is a product of the activity of modern man.

· Information in its pure form (in itself) is the subject of purchase and sale.

· Equal opportunities in access to information for all segments of the population.

· Security of the information society, information.

· Protection of intellectual property.

· Interaction of all state structures and states among themselves on the basis of ICT.

· Management of the information society by the state and public organizations.

Today, industrial society is a concept familiar in all developed and even many developing countries of the world. Transition process mechanical production, the decline in the profitability of agriculture, the growth of cities and a clear division of labor - all these are the main features of the process that is changing the socio-economic structure of the state.

What is an industrial society?

Apart from production characteristics, this society is different high level life, the emergence of civil rights and freedoms, the emergence of service activities, accessible information and humane economic relations. Previous traditional socio-economic models were characterized by a relatively low average standard of living of the population.

Industrial society is considered modern; both technical and social components are developing very quickly in it, affecting the improvement of the quality of life in general.

Main differences

The main difference between a traditional agrarian society and a modern one is the growth of industry, the need for modernized, accelerated and efficient production and the division of labor.

The main reasons for the division of labor and mass production can be considered both economic - the financial benefits of mechanization, and social - population growth and increased demand for goods.

Industrial society is characterized not only by the growth of industrial production, but also by the systematization and flow of agricultural activities. Moreover, in any country and in any society, the process of industrial reconstruction is accompanied by the development of science, technology, media and civic responsibility.

Changing the structure of society

Today, many developing countries are particularly characterized by accelerated process transition from traditional to industrial society. The process of globalization and free information space play a significant role in changing socio-economic structures. New technologies and scientific achievements make it possible to improve production processes, which makes a number of industries especially efficient.

Processes of globalization and international cooperation and regulation are also influencing changes in social charters. Industrial society is characterized by a completely different worldview, when the expansion of rights and freedoms is perceived not as a concession, but as something for granted. In combination, such changes allow the state to become part of the world market both from an economic and socio-political point of view.

Main features and characteristics of industrial society

The main characteristics can be divided into three groups: production, economic and social.

The main production features and characteristics of an industrial society are as follows:

mechanization of production;
labor reorganization;
division of labor;
increased productivity.

Among the economic characteristics it is necessary to highlight:

growing influence of private production;
emergence of a market for competitive goods;
expansion of sales markets.

The main economic feature of an industrial society is uneven economic development. Crisis, inflation, decline in production - all these are frequent phenomena in the economy of an industrial state. The Industrial Revolution does not guarantee stability.

The main feature of industrial society in terms of its social development is a change in values and worldview, which is influenced by:

development and accessibility of education;
improving quality of life;
popularization of culture and art;
urbanization;
expansion of human rights and freedoms.

It is worth noting that industrial society is also characterized by reckless exploitation natural resources, including irreplaceable ones, and almost complete disregard for the environment.

Historical background

In addition to economic benefits and population growth, the industrial development of society was due to a number of other reasons. In traditional states, most people were able to provide for their livelihood, and that’s all. Only a few could afford comfort, education and pleasure. Agrarian society was forced to move to agrarian-industrial society. This transition allowed for increased production. However, the agrarian-industrial society was characterized by an inhumane attitude of owners towards workers and a low level of mechanization of production.

Pre-industrial socio-economic models were based on one form or another of the slave system, which indicated the absence of universal freedoms and a low average standard of living of the population.

Industrial revolution

The transition to an industrial society began during the Industrial Revolution. It was this period, the 18th-19th centuries, that was responsible for the transition from manual labor to mechanized labor. The beginning and middle of the 19th century became the apogee of industrialization in a number of leading world powers.

During the industrial revolution, the main features took shape modern state, such as industrial growth, urbanization, economic growth and the capitalist model of social development.

The industrial revolution is usually associated with the growth of machine production and intensive technological development, but it was during this period that the main socio-political changes took place that influenced the formation of a new society.

Industrialization

There are three main sectors in both the global and national economies:

Primary - resource extraction and agriculture.
Secondary - processing resources and creating food products.
Tertiary - service sector.

Traditional social structures were based on the superiority of the primary sector. Subsequently, in transition period, the secondary sector began to catch up with the primary sector, and the service sector began to grow. Industrialization consists of expanding the secondary sector of the economy.

This process took place in world history in two stages: the technical revolution, which included the creation of mechanized factories and the abandonment of manufacturing, and the modernization of devices - the invention of the conveyor, electrical appliances and engines.

Urbanization

In the modern understanding, urbanization is the increase in the population of large cities due to migration from rural areas. However, the transition to an industrial society was characterized by a broader interpretation of the concept.

Cities became not only places of work and migration, but also cultural and economic centers. It was the cities that became the boundary of the true division of labor - territorial.

The future of industrial society

Today at developed countries There is a transition from modern industrial society to post-industrial society. There is a change in the values and criteria of human capital.

The engine of post-industrial society and its economy should be the knowledge industry. That's why scientific discoveries and new generation technological developments are playing a big role in many countries. Professionals with a high level of education, good learning ability, and creative thinking are considered valuable working capital. The dominant sector of the traditional economy will be the tertiary sector, that is, the service sector.

Modern societies differ in many ways, but they also have the same parameters according to which they can be typologized.

One of the main directions in the typology is choice of political relations, forms state power as grounds for distinguishing different types of society. For example, U and I societies differ in type of government: monarchy, tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy. Modern versions of this approach highlight totalitarian(the state determines all the main directions social life); democratic(population can influence government agencies) And authoritarian(combining elements of totalitarianism and democracy) societies.

The basis typology of society it's supposed to Marxism difference between societies type of industrial relations in various socio-economic formations: primitive communal society (primitively appropriating mode of production); societies with the Asian mode of production (presence special type collective ownership of land); slave societies (ownership of people and use of slave labor); feudal (exploitation of peasants attached to the land); communist or socialist societies (equal treatment of all towards ownership of the means of production through the elimination of private property relations).

Traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies

Most stable in modern sociology is considered a typology based on the selection traditional, industrial and post-industrial society

Traditional society(it is also called simple and agrarian) is a society with an agricultural structure, sedentary structures and a method of sociocultural regulation based on traditions (traditional society). The behavior of individuals in it is strictly controlled, regulated by customs and norms of traditional behavior, established social institutions, among which the most important will be the family. Attempts at any social transformations and innovations are rejected. For him characterized by low rates of development, production. Important for this type of society is an established social solidarity, which Durkheim established while studying the society of the Australian aborigines.

Traditional society characterized by the natural division and specialization of labor (mainly by gender and age), personalization interpersonal communication(directly individuals, and not officials or persons of status), informal regulation of interactions (norms of unwritten laws of religion and morality), connection of members by kinship relations (family type of organization of the community), primitive system of community management (hereditary power, rule of elders).

Modern societies differ in the following features: the role-based nature of interaction (people’s expectations and behavior are determined by social status and social functions individuals); developing deep division of labor (on a professional qualification basis related to education and work experience); a formal system for regulating relations (based on written law: laws, regulations, contracts, etc.); a complex system of social management (separation of the institute of management, special government bodies: political, economic, territorial and self-government); secularization of religion (its separation from the system of government); highlighting a variety of social institutions (self-reproducing systems of special relations that allow for social control, inequality, protection of their members, distribution of goods, production, communication).

These include industrial and post-industrial societies.

Industrial society- this is a type of organization of social life that combines the freedom and interests of the individual with general principles regulating their joint activities. It is characterized by flexibility of social structures, social mobility, and a developed communication system.

In the 1960s concepts appear post-industrial (informational) societies (D. Bell, A. Touraine, J. Habermas), caused by drastic changes in the economy and culture of the most developed countries. The leading role in society is recognized as the role of knowledge and information, computer and automatic devices. An individual who has received the necessary education and has access to the latest information has an advantageous chance of moving up the social hierarchy. The main goal of a person in society becomes creative work.

The negative side of post-industrial society is the danger of strengthening on the part of the state, the ruling elite through access to information and electronic media and communication over people and society as a whole.

Lifeworld human society is becoming stronger is subject to the logic of efficiency and instrumentalism. Culture, including traditional values, is being destroyed under the influence administrative control gravitating towards standardization and unification of social relations and social behavior. Society is increasingly subject to the logic of economic life and bureaucratic thinking.

Distinctive features of post-industrial society:

transition from the production of goods to an economy of services;
the rise and dominance of highly educated technical vocational specialists;
the main role of theoretical knowledge as a source of discoveries and political decisions in society;
control over technology and the ability to assess the consequences of scientific and technical innovations;
decision-making based on the creation of intelligent technology, as well as using the so-called information technology.

The latter is brought to life by the needs of the beginning to form information society. The emergence of such a phenomenon is by no means accidental. The basis of social dynamics in the information society is not traditional material resources, which are also largely exhausted, but information (intellectual) ones: knowledge, scientific, organizational factors, intellectual abilities people, their initiative, creativity.

The concept of post-industrialism today has been developed in detail, has a lot of supporters and an ever-increasing number of opponents. The world has formed two main directions assessments of the future development of human society: eco-pessimism and techno-optimism. Ecopessimism predicts total global catastrophe due to increasing environmental pollution; destruction of the Earth's biosphere. Techno-optimism draws a rosier picture, assuming that scientific and technological progress will cope with all the difficulties on the path to the development of society.

Basic typologies of society

In the history of social thought, several typologies of society have been proposed.

Typologies of society during the formation of sociological science

Founder of sociology, French scientist O. Comte proposed a three-member stage typology, which included:

stage of military dominance;
stage of feudal rule;
stage of industrial civilization.

The basis of the typology G. Spencer the principle evolutionary development societies from simple to complex, i.e. from an elementary society to an increasingly differentiated one. Spencer envisioned the development of societies as component a single evolutionary process for all nature. The lowest pole of the evolution of society is formed by the so-called military societies, characterized by high homogeneity, the subordinate position of the individual and the dominance of coercion as a factor of integration. From this phase, through a series of intermediate ones, society develops to the highest pole - industrial society, in which democracy, the voluntary nature of integration, spiritual pluralism and diversity dominate.

Typologies of society in the classical period of development of sociology

These typologies differ from those described above. Sociologists of this period saw their task as explaining it based not on the general order of nature and the laws of its development, but on nature itself and its internal laws. So, E. Durkheim sought to find the “original cell” of the social as such and for this purpose looked for the “simplest,” most elementary society, the simplest form of organization of “collective consciousness.” Therefore, his typology of societies is built from simple to complex, and is based on the principle of complicating the form of social solidarity, i.e. consciousness by individuals of their unity. In simple societies, mechanical solidarity operates because the individuals composing them are very similar in consciousness and life situation - like particles of a mechanical whole. In complex societies, there is a complex system of division of labor, differentiated functions of individuals, therefore the individuals themselves are separated from each other in lifestyle and consciousness. They are united by functional connections, and their solidarity is “organic”, functional. Both types of solidarity are represented in any society, but in archaic societies mechanical solidarity predominates, and in modern societies organic solidarity predominates.

German classic of sociology M. Weber viewed the social as a system of domination and subordination. His approach was based on the idea of society as the result of a struggle for power and to maintain dominance. Societies are classified according to the type of dominance that prevails in them. The charismatic type of dominance arises on the basis of the personal special power - charisma - of the ruler. Priests or leaders usually possess charisma, and such dominance is non-rational and does not require a special system of management. Modern society, according to Weber, there is a legal type of domination based on law, characterized by the presence of a bureaucratic management system and the operation of the principle of rationality.

Typology of the French sociologist Zh. Gurvich features a complex multi-level system. He identifies four types of archaic societies that had a primary global structure:

tribal (Australia, American Indians);
tribal, which included heterogeneous and weakly hierarchized groups united around the endowed magical power leader (Polynesia, Melanesia);
tribal with a military organization, consisting of family groups and clans (North America);
tribal tribes united into monarchical states (“black” Africa).

charismatic societies (Egypt, Ancient China, Persia, Japan);
patriarchal societies (Homeric Greeks, Jews of the era Old Testament, Romans, Slavs, Franks);
city-states (Greek city-states, Roman cities, Italian cities of the Renaissance);
feudal hierarchical societies (European Middle Ages);
societies that gave rise to enlightened absolutism and capitalism (Europe only).

IN modern world Gurvich identifies: technical-bureaucratic society; a liberal democratic society built on the principles of collectivist statism; society of pluralistic collectivism, etc.

Typologies of society in modern sociology

The postclassical stage of development of sociology is characterized by typologies based on the principle of technical and technological development of societies. Nowadays, the most popular typology is one that distinguishes between traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies.

Traditional societies characterized by high development of agricultural labor. The main sector of production is the procurement of raw materials, which is carried out within peasant families; members of society strive to satisfy mainly domestic needs. The basis of the economy is the family farm, which is able to satisfy, if not all of its needs, then a significant part of them. Technical development is extremely weak. The main method in decision making is the “trial and error” method. Social relations are extremely poorly developed, as is social differentiation. Such societies are tradition-oriented, therefore, oriented towards the past.

Industrial society - a society characterized by high industrial development and rapid economic growth. Economic development is carried out mainly due to an extensive, consumer attitude towards nature: in order to satisfy its current needs, such a society strives for the most complete development of the natural resources at its disposal. The main sector of production is the processing and processing of materials, carried out by teams of workers in factories and factories. Such a society and its members strive for maximum adaptation to the present moment and satisfaction of social needs. The main method of decision-making is empirical research.

Another very important feature of industrial society is the so-called “modernization optimism”, i.e. absolute confidence that any problem, including social, can be solved based on scientific knowledge and technology.

Post-industrial society- this is a society that is emerging at the moment and has a number of significant differences from industrial society. If an industrial society is characterized by a desire for maximum industrial development, then in a post-industrial society a much more noticeable (and ideally primary) role is played by knowledge, technology and information. In addition, the service sector is developing rapidly, overtaking industry.

In a post-industrial society there is no faith in the omnipotence of science. This is partly due to the fact that humanity is faced with the negative consequences of its own activities. For this reason, “environmental values” come to the fore, and this means not only careful attitude to nature, but also an attentive attitude to balance and harmony necessary for the adequate development of society.

The basis of post-industrial society is information, which in turn gave rise to another type of society - informational. According to supporters of the theory of the information society, a completely new society is emerging, characterized by processes that are opposite to those that took place in the previous phases of the development of societies even in the 20th century. For example, instead of centralization there is regionalization, instead of hierarchization and bureaucratization - democratization, instead of concentration - disaggregation, instead of standardization - individualization. All these processes are driven by information technology.

People offering services either provide information or use it. For example, teachers transfer knowledge to students, repairmen use their knowledge to maintain equipment, lawyers, doctors, bankers, pilots, designers sell their specialized knowledge of laws, anatomy, finance, aerodynamics and color schemes to clients. They do not produce anything, unlike factory workers in an industrial society. Instead, they transfer or use knowledge to provide services for which others are willing to pay.

Researchers are already using the term " virtual society" for description modern type a society formed and developing under the influence of information technologies, especially Internet technologies. The virtual, or possible, world has become a new reality due to the computer boom that has swept society. Virtualization (replacement of reality with a se simulation/image) of society, researchers note, is total, since all the elements that make up society are virtualized, significantly changing their appearance, their status and role.

Post-industrial society is also defined as a society " post-economic", "post-labor", i.e. a society in which the economic subsystem loses its decisive significance, and labor ceases to be the basis of all social relations. In a post-industrial society, a person loses his economic essence and is no longer considered as an “economic man”; he focuses on new, “postmaterialist” values. The emphasis is shifting to social and humanitarian problems, and the priority issues are the quality and safety of life, the self-realization of the individual in various social spheres, and therefore new criteria for welfare and social well-being are being formed.

According to the concept of post-economic society, developed by the Russian scientist V.L. Inozemtsev, in a post-economic society, in contrast to an economic society focused on material enrichment, the main goal for most people is the development of their own personality.

The theory of post-economic society is associated with a new periodization of human history, in which three large-scale eras can be distinguished - pre-economic, economic and post-economic. This periodization is based on two criteria: type human activity and the nature of the relationship between the interests of the individual and society. The post-economic type of society is defined as a type of social structure where human economic activity becomes more intense and complex, but is no longer determined by its material interests, and is not set by traditionally understood economic feasibility. The economic basis of such a society is formed by the destruction of private property and a return to personal property, to the state of non-alienation of the worker from the tools of production. Post-economic society is characterized by a new type of social confrontation - the confrontation between the information-intellectual elite and all people who are not included in it, engaged in the sphere of mass production and, as a result, pushed out to the periphery of society. However, each member of such a society has the opportunity to enter the elite himself, since membership in the elite is determined by abilities and knowledge.

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Typology of societies: Traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies

In the modern world there are various types societies that differ from each other in many respects, both obvious (language of communication, culture, geographical location, size, etc.) and hidden (degree of social integration, level of stability, etc.). Scientific classification involves identifying the most significant, typical features that distinguish one feature from another and unite societies of the same group.
Typology(from Greek tupoc - imprint, form, sample and logoc - word, teaching) - method scientific knowledge, which is based on the division of systems of objects and their grouping using a generalized, idealized model or type.
In the mid-19th century, K. Marx proposed a typology of societies, which was based on the method of production of material goods and production relations - primarily property relations. He divided all societies into 5 main types (according to the type of socio-economic formations): primitive communal, slaveholding, feudal, capitalist and communist (the initial phase is socialist society).
Another typology divides all societies into simple and complex. The criterion is the number of levels of management and the degree of social differentiation (stratification).
A simple society is a society in which the constituent parts are homogeneous, there are no rich and poor, no leaders and subordinates, the structure and functions here are poorly differentiated and can be easily interchanged. These are the primitive tribes that still survive in some places.
A complex society is a society with highly differentiated structures and functions that are interconnected and interdependent on each other, which necessitates their coordination.
K. Popper distinguishes two types of societies: closed and open. The differences between them are based on a number of factors, and, above all, the attitude social control and individual freedom.
For closed society characterized by a static social structure, limited mobility, immunity to innovation, traditionalism, dogmatic authoritarian ideology, collectivism. K. Popper included Sparta, Prussia, and Tsarist Russia, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union Stalin era.
An open society is characterized by a dynamic social structure, high mobility, the ability to innovate, criticism, individualism and a democratic pluralistic ideology. K. Popper considered ancient Athens and modern Western democracies to be examples of open societies.
Modern sociology uses all typologies, combining them into some synthetic model. Its creator is considered to be the prominent American sociologist Daniel Bell (b. 1919). He subdivided world history three stages: pre-industrial, industrial and post-industrial. When one stage replaces another, technology, mode of production, form of ownership, social institutions, political regime, culture, lifestyle, population, and social structure of society change.
Traditional (pre-industrial) society- a society with an agrarian structure, with a predominance of subsistence farming, class hierarchy, sedentary structures and a method of sociocultural regulation based on tradition. It is characterized by manual labor and extremely low rates of development of production, which can satisfy people's needs only at a minimum level. It is extremely inertial, therefore it is not very susceptible to innovation. The behavior of individuals in such a society is regulated by customs, norms, and social institutions. Customs, norms, institutions, sanctified by traditions, are considered unshakable, not allowing even the thought of changing them. Carrying out their integrative function, culture and social institutions suppress any manifestation of personal freedom, which is a necessary condition gradual renewal of society.
Industrial society- The term industrial society was introduced by A. Saint-Simon, emphasizing its new technical basis.
In modern terms, this is a complex society, with an industry-based way of managing, with flexible, dynamic and modifying structures, a way of socio-cultural regulation based on a combination of individual freedom and the interests of society. These societies are characterized by a developed division of labor, the development of mass communications, urbanization, etc.
Post-industrial society- (sometimes called informational) - a society developed on an information basis: mining (in traditional societies) and processing (in industrial societies) of natural products are replaced by the acquisition and processing of information, as well as the preferential development (instead of agriculture in traditional societies and industry in industrial ones) of the service sector. As a result, the employment structure and the ratio of various professional and qualification groups are also changing. According to forecasts, already at the beginning of the 21st century in advanced countries, half of the workforce will be employed in the field of information, a quarter in the field of material production and a quarter in the production of services, including information.
The change in the technological basis also affects the organization of the entire system of social connections and relationships. If in an industrial society the mass class was made up of workers, then in a post-industrial society it was employees and managers. At the same time, the significance of class differentiation weakens, instead of status (“granular”) social structure a functional (“ready”) one is formed. Instead of leadership, coordination becomes the principle of management, and representative democracy is replaced by direct democracy and self-government. As a result, instead of a hierarchy of structures, a new type of network organization is created, focused on rapid change depending on the situation.