Discussion of social issues, relationships between people.

Olga

What is a "traditional society"?

Roman

Here is an article from Wikipedia, but in general, type in Google (traditional society modernization)
traditional society
A traditional society is a society governed by tradition. The preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development.
For a traditional society, as a rule, are characterized by:
traditional economy
the predominance of the agrarian way;
structure stability;
estate organization;
low mobility;
high mortality;
high birth rate;
low life expectancy.
The traditional person perceives the world and the established order of life as something inseparably integral, holistic, sacred and not subject to change. A person's place in society and his status are determined by tradition (as a rule, by birthright).
In a traditional society, collectivist attitudes prevail, individualism is not welcome (because the freedom of individual actions can lead to a violation of the established order). 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.). It is not so much individual capacity that is valued, but the place in the hierarchy (bureaucratic, class, clan, etc.) that a person occupies.
Traditional societies tend to be authoritarian and not pluralistic. Authoritarianism is necessary, in particular, to stop attempts to violate traditions or change them.
In a traditional society, as a rule, relations of redistribution rather than market exchange prevail, and elements of a market economy are tightly 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 estates); the system of redistribution can be regulated by tradition, but market prices are not; forced redistribution prevents "unauthorized" enrichment/impoverishment of both individuals and classes. The pursuit of economic gain in a traditional society is often morally condemned, opposed to selfless help.
In a traditional society, most people live all their lives in a local community (for example, a village), ties 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 conditioned by tradition and authority.
Transformation of traditional society
The traditional society is extremely stable. As the well-known demographer and sociologist Anatoly Vishnevsky writes, “everything is interconnected in it and it is very difficult to remove or change any one element.”
In ancient times, changes in traditional society occurred extremely slowly - over generations, almost imperceptibly for an individual. Periods of accelerated development also took place in traditional societies (a striking example is the changes in the territory of Eurasia in the 1st millennium BC), but even during such periods, changes were carried out slowly by modern standards, and upon their completion, the society returned to a relatively static state. with a predominance of cyclical dynamics.
At the same time, since ancient times, there have been societies that cannot be called completely traditional. The departure from the traditional society was associated, as a rule, with the development of trade. This category includes Greek city-states, medieval self-governing trading cities, England and Holland of the 16th-17th centuries. Standing apart is Ancient Rome (until the 3rd century AD) with its civil society.
The rapid and irreversible transformation of traditional society began to occur only from the 18th century as a result of the industrial revolution. To date, this process has captured almost the entire world.
Rapid changes and departure from traditions can be experienced by a traditional person as a collapse of landmarks and values, a loss of the meaning of life, etc. Since adaptation to new conditions and a change in the nature of activity are not included in the strategy of a traditional person, the transformation of society often leads to the marginalization of part of the population.
The most painful transformation of a traditional society occurs when the dismantled traditions have a religious justification. At the same time, resistance to change can take the form of religious fundamentalism.
During the period of transformation of a traditional society, authoritarianism may increase in it (either in order to preserve traditions, or in order to overcome resistance to change).
The transformation of traditional society ends with a demographic transition. The generation that grew up in small families has a psychology that differs from that of a traditional person.
Opinions on the need (and degree) of transformation of traditional society differ significantly. For example, the philosopher A. Dugin considers it necessary to abandon the principles of modern society and return to the "golden age" of traditionalism. Sociologist and demographer A. Vishnevsky argues that the traditional society "has no chance", although it "fiercely resists." According to the calculations of the academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Professor A. Nazaretyan, in order to completely abandon development and return society to a static state, the human population must be reduced by several hundred times.

Olga

Roman wrote: Here is an article from Wikipedia, but in general, type in Google (traditional society modernization)

Thanks Roman.
To be honest, I didn’t even have the thought of “looking somewhere”. Because I didn’t even think that some generally accepted definition could be given to this ...
I thought that "traditional societies" are yours, Roman, free word creation ...

Olga

Roman wrote: A traditional society is a society governed by tradition. Preservation of traditions is a higher value in it than development.............

Thanks a lot Roman!
I really didn't know...

But these societies ... they are, as it were ... in the past ... in the distant past.
Yes?

Roman

Olga wrote: But these societies... they are, as it were... in the past... in the distant past.
Yes?
From the "modern" for some reason, the Mormons "surfaced". And, perhaps, a socialist society ...

Well, no, elements of a traditional society are preserved in any society.
Modernization in Russia took place just during the time of socialism, now finally.
In the modern world, modernization processes are going on, often painfully, with rollbacks (as in many Muslim countries) in China, India, Asia, and African countries.
In general, this is a very painful process.
Consciousness is freed from traditional values, and what it receives in return is often perceived as immorality, debauchery, emptiness. Hence the rollback to religious radicalism, nationalism...
In general, the essence of modernization is in the transfer of values ​​from generic to personal, but not every person is ready to withstand the burden of freedom and responsibility, not everyone has deep moral guidelines, hence the problems with crime, drug addiction, (including homosexuality)
Walsh's book, beloved by Andrey, is also a vivid example of the modernization of religion.

Olga

Roman wrote: Well, no, elements of a traditional society are preserved in any society.

No, I don't understand this anymore.
Society is either "traditional" or not!
Societies with elements of a traditional society are some completely different societies.
In general, "society" is a holistic concept.
They explained to me about "traditional societies" - these are societies with a very specific set of features.
A society with only elements of the traditional "traditional" can not be called.
Roman

Instruction

The vital activity of a traditional society is based on subsistence (agriculture) with the use of extensive technologies, as well as primitive crafts. Such a social structure is typical for the period of antiquity and the Middle Ages. It is believed that any that existed in the period from the primitive community until the beginning of the industrial revolution belongs to the traditional species.

During this period, hand tools were used. Their improvement and modernization took place at an extremely slow, almost imperceptible rate of natural evolution. The economic system was based on the use of natural resources, it was dominated by mining, trade, construction. The people were mostly sedentary.

The social system of a traditional society is class-corporate. It is characterized by stability, preserved for centuries. There are several different estates that do not change over time, maintaining the same nature of life and static. In many traditional societies, commodity relations are either not characteristic at all, or are so poorly developed that they are focused only on meeting the needs of small members of the social elite.

Traditional society has the following features. It is characterized by the total dominance of religion in the spiritual sphere. Human life is considered the fulfillment of God's providence. The most important quality of a member of such a society is the spirit of collectivism, a sense of belonging to one's family and class, as well as a close connection with the land where he was born. Individualism is not characteristic of people in this period. Spiritual life for them was more significant than material wealth.

The rules of coexistence with neighbors, life in, attitude to were determined by established traditions. The man has already acquired his status. The social structure was interpreted only from the point of view of religion, and therefore the role of the government in society was explained to the people as a divine destiny. The head of state enjoyed unquestioned authority and played an important role in the life of society.

The traditional society is demographically characterized by high, high mortality and rather low life expectancy. Examples of this type today are the ways of many countries of Northeast and North Africa (Algeria, Ethiopia), Southeast Asia (in particular, Vietnam). In Russia, a society of this type existed until the middle of the 19th century. Despite this, by the beginning of the new century, it was one of the most influential and largest countries in the world, possessing the status of a great power.

The main spiritual values ​​that distinguish - the culture of the ancestors. Cultural life was mainly focused on the past: respect for one's ancestors, admiration for the works and monuments of previous eras. Culture is characterized by homogeneity (homogeneity), its own traditions and a rather categorical rejection of the cultures of other peoples.

According to many researchers, traditional society is characterized by a lack of choice in spiritual and cultural terms. The dominant worldview in such a society and stable traditions provide a person with a ready-made and clear system of spiritual guidelines and values. That is why the world seems clear to a person, not causing unnecessary questions.

It is extremely difficult for us, practical people from the future, to understand people of the traditional way of life. This is due to the fact that we grew up in a different culture. However, it is extremely useful to understand the people of a traditional society, because such an understanding makes a dialogue of cultures possible. For example, you came to rest in such a traditional country, you must understand the local customs and traditions, and respect them. Otherwise, there will be no rest, and there will be only continuous conflicts.

Signs of a traditional society

Ttraditional society It is a society in which all life is subordinated. In addition, it has the following features.

Patriarchy- the primacy of the masculine over the feminine. A woman in the traditional sense is not a complete being, moreover, she is a fiend of chaos. And ceteris paribus, who will get more food, a man or a woman? Most likely a man, of course, if we omit the “feminized” male representatives.

The family in such a society will be 100% patriarchal. An example of such a family can be the one that Archpriest Sylvester was guided by when he wrote his Domostroy in the 16th century.

Collectivism- will be another sign of such a society. The individual here means nothing in the face of the clan, family, teip. And this is justified. After all, the traditional society was developed where it was extremely difficult to get food. And that means only together we can provide for ourselves. By virtue of this decision of the collective is much more important than any individual.

Agricultural production and subsistence farming will be the hallmarks of such a society. What to sow, what to produce says tradition, not expediency. The whole economic sphere will be subject to custom. What prevented people from realizing some other realities and bringing innovations to production? As a rule, these were serious climatic conditions, thanks to which tradition dominated: since our fathers and grandfathers ran their household in this way, why on earth should we change something. “We didn’t invent it, it’s not for us to change it” - this is how a person living in such a society thinks.

There are other signs of a traditional society, which we consider in more detail in the preparation courses for the Unified State Examination / GIA:

Countries

So, a traditional society, unlike an industrial one, is distinguished by the primacy of tradition and the collective. What countries can be called such? Strange as it may seem, many modern information societies can be classified as traditional at the same time. How is this possible?

Let's take Japan for example. The country is extremely developed, and at the same time traditions are strongly developed in it. When a Japanese comes to his home, he is in the field of his culture: tatami, shoji, sushi - all this is an integral part of the interior of a Japanese home. Japanese, takes off everyday business bones, as a rule, European; and puts on a kimono - traditional Japanese clothing, very spacious and comfortable.

China is also a very traditional country, and at the same time related to. For example, over the past five years, 18,000 bridges have been built in China. But at the same time, there are villages where traditions are greatly respected. Shaolin monasteries, Tibetan monasteries, which strictly observe ancient Chinese traditions, have been preserved.

Coming to Japan or China, you will feel like an outsider - gaijin or lyaowan, respectively.

The same traditional countries include India, Taiwan, the countries of Southeast Asia, and the countries of Africa.

I foresee your question, dear reader: after all, is tradition good or bad? Personally, I think tradition is good. Tradition allows us to remember who we are. It lets us remember that we are not Pokemon and not just people from nowhere. We are the descendants of the people who lived before us. In conclusion, I would like to quote the words from a Japanese proverb: "By the behavior of descendants one can judge their ancestors." I think now you understand why the countries of the East are traditional countries.

As always, I look forward to your comments 🙂

Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov

The concept of a traditional society covers the great agrarian civilizations of the Ancient East (Ancient India and Ancient China, Ancient Egypt and the medieval states of the Muslim East), the European states of the Middle Ages. In a number of states in Asia and Africa, the traditional society is still preserved today, but the clash with modern Western civilization has significantly changed its civilizational characteristics.
The basis of human life is labor, in the process of which a person transforms the substance and energy of nature into objects of his own consumption. In a traditional society, the basis of life is agricultural labor, the fruits of which give a person all the necessary means of life. However, manual agricultural labor using simple tools provided a person with only the most necessary, and even then under favorable weather conditions. Three "black horsemen" terrified the European Middle Ages - famine, war and plague. Hunger is the most cruel: there is no shelter from it. He left deep scars on the cultured brow of the European peoples. Its echoes are heard in folklore and epic, the mournful drawl of folk chants. Most folk signs are about the weather and crop prospects. The dependence of a person of a traditional society on nature is reflected in the metaphors “earth-nurse”, “mother earth” (“mother earth”), expressing a loving and careful attitude towards nature as a source of life, from which it was not supposed to draw too much.
The farmer perceived nature as a living being, requiring a moral attitude towards himself. Therefore, a person of a traditional society is not a master, not a conqueror and not a king of nature. He is a small fraction (microcosm) of the great cosmic whole, the universe. His labor activity was subject to the eternal rhythms of nature (seasonal change of weather, length of daylight hours) - this is the requirement of life itself on the verge of natural and social. An ancient Chinese parable ridicules a farmer who dared to challenge traditional agriculture based on the rhythms of nature: in an effort to accelerate the growth of cereals, he pulled them by the tops until he was uprooted.
The relation of a person to the object of labor always presupposes his relation to another person. Appropriating this object in the process of labor or consumption, a person is included in the system of social relations of property and distribution. In the feudal society of the European Middle Ages, private ownership of land prevailed - the main wealth of agrarian civilizations. It corresponded to a type of social subordination called personal dependence. The concept of personal dependence characterizes the type of social connection of people belonging to different social classes of feudal society - the steps of the "feudal ladder". The European feudal lord and the Asian despot were full owners of the bodies and souls of their subjects, and even owned them on property rights. So it was in Russia before the abolition of serfdom. Personal addiction breeds non-economic coercion to work based on personal power based on direct violence.
Traditional society developed forms of everyday resistance to the exploitation of labor on the basis of non-economic coercion: refusal to work for the master (corvée), evasion of payment in kind (tire) or cash tax, escape from one's master, which undermined the social basis of traditional society - the relationship of personal dependence.
People of the same social class or estate (peasants of a territorial-neighboring community, a German mark, members of a noble assembly, etc.) were bound by relations of solidarity, trust and collective responsibility. The peasant community, urban handicraft corporations jointly bore feudal duties. Community peasants together survived in lean years: supporting a neighbor with a “piece” was considered the norm of life. Narodniks, describing "going to the people", note such traits of the people's character as compassion, collectivism and readiness for self-sacrifice. The traditional society has formed high moral qualities: collectivism, mutual assistance and social responsibility, which are included in the treasury of civilizational achievements of mankind.
A person in a traditional society did not feel like a person opposing or competing with others. On the contrary, he perceived himself as an integral part of his village, community, policy. The German sociologist M. Weber noted that the Chinese peasant who settled in the city did not break ties with the rural church community, and in ancient Greece expulsion from the policy was even equated with the death penalty (hence the word “outcast”). The man of the Ancient East completely subordinated himself to the clan and caste standards of social group life, "dissolved" in them. The observance of traditions has long been considered the main value of ancient Chinese humanism.
The social status of a person in a traditional society was determined not by personal merit, but by social origin. The rigidity of the class-estate partitions of traditional society kept it unchanged throughout life. To this day, the people say: "It is written in the family." The notion inherent in the traditionalist consciousness that one cannot escape fate has formed the type of a contemplative personality, whose creative efforts are directed not at the alteration of life, but at spiritual well-being. I. A. Goncharov, with brilliant artistic insight, captured such a psychological type in the image of I. I. Oblomov. "Fate", that is, social predetermination, is a key metaphor for ancient Greek tragedies. The tragedy of Sophocles "Oedipus Rex" tells of the titanic efforts of the hero to avoid the terrible fate predicted for him, however, despite all his exploits, evil fate triumphs.
The daily life of traditional society was remarkably stable. It was regulated not so much by laws as tradition - a set of unwritten rules, patterns of activity, behavior and communication, embodying the experience of ancestors. In the traditionalist consciousness, it was believed that the "golden age" was already behind, and the gods and heroes left models of deeds and deeds that should be imitated. The social habits of people have hardly changed for many generations. The organization of life, ways of housekeeping and communication norms, holiday rituals, ideas about illness and death - in a word, everything that we call everyday life was brought up in the family and passed down from generation to generation. Many generations of people found the same social structures, modes of activity and social habits. Subordination to tradition explains the high stability of traditional societies with their stagnant-patriarchal cycle of life and extremely slow pace of social development.
The stability of traditional societies, many of which (especially in the Ancient East) remained virtually unchanged for centuries, was also facilitated by the public authority of the supreme power. Often, she was directly identified with the personality of the king ("The state is me"). The public authority of the earthly ruler was also fed by religious ideas about the divine origin of his power (“The Sovereign is God’s vicegerent on earth”), although history knows few cases when the head of state personally became the head of the church (Church of England). The personification of political and spiritual power in one person (theocracy) ensured the dual subordination of a person to both the state and the church, which gave traditional society even greater stability.

Modern societies differ in many ways, but they also have the same parameters by which they can be typified.

One of the main trends in typology is choice of political relations, forms of government as grounds for distinguishing different types of society. For example, u and i societies differ in type of government: monarchy, tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy. In modern versions of this approach, there is a distinction totalitarian(the state determines all the main directions of social life); democratic(population can influence government structures) and authoritarian(combining elements of totalitarianism and democracy) societies.

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

Traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies

The most stable in modern sociology is considered a typology based on the allocation traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies.

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

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

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

These include industrial and post-industrial societies.

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

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

The negative side of the 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.

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

Distinctive features of a post-industrial society:

• the transition from the production of goods to a service economy;
• the rise and dominance of highly educated vocational professionals;
• 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 technological innovations;
• decision-making based on the creation of intelligent technology, as well as using the so-called information technology.

The latter was brought to life by the needs of the one that began 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): knowledge, scientific, organizational factors, intellectual abilities of people, their initiative, creativity.

The concept of post-industrialism has been developed in detail today, it 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. eco-pessimism predicts in 2030 a total global catastrophe due to increasing environmental pollution; destruction of the Earth's biosphere. Techno-optimism draws a more rosy picture, assuming that scientific and technological progress will cope with all the difficulties in the development of society.

Basic typologies of society

Several typologies of society have been proposed in the history of social thought.

Typologies of society during the formation of sociological science

French scientist, founder of sociology O. Comte proposed a three-part stadial typology, which included:

• stage of military domination;
• stage of feudal rule;
• stage of industrial civilization.

The basis of the typology G. Spencer the principle of the evolutionary development of societies from simple to complex, i.e. from an elementary society to an increasingly differentiated one. Spencer presented the development of societies as an integral part of an evolutionary process that is unified 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 an integration factor. From this phase, through a series of intermediate phases, society develops to the highest pole - an industrial society dominated by democracy, the voluntary nature of integration, spiritual pluralism and diversity.

Typologies of society in the classical period of development of sociology

These typologies differ from those described above. The sociologists of that period saw their task in explaining it, starting not from the general order of nature and the laws of its development, but from itself and its internal laws. So, E. Durkheim sought to find the "original cell" of the social as such, and for this purpose he was looking 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 it is based on the principle of complicating the form of social solidarity, i.e. awareness by individuals of their unity. Mechanical solidarity operates in simple societies, because the individuals that make up 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 terms of their way of life and consciousness. They are united by functional ties, and their solidarity is "organic", functional. Both types of solidarity are present in any society, but mechanical solidarity dominates in archaic societies, while organic solidarity dominates in modern ones.

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

Typology of a French sociologist J. Gurvich differs by 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 a leader endowed with magical powers (Polynesia, Melanesia);
• tribal with a military organization, consisting of family groups and clans (North America);
• tribal tribes united in monarchical states ("black" Africa).

• charismatic societies (Egypt, Ancient China, Persia, Japan);
• patriarchal societies (Homeric Greeks, Jews of the Old Testament era, Romans, Slavs, Franks);
• city-states (Greek policies, 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 the modern world, Gurvich distinguishes: a technical-bureaucratic society; a liberal-democratic society built on the principles of collectivist etatism; a society of pluralistic collectivism, etc.

Typologies of the Society of Contemporary Sociology

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

Traditional societies characterized by a high development of agricultural labor. The main sector of production is the procurement of raw materials, which is carried out within the framework of peasant families; members of society seek to meet mainly domestic needs. The basis of the economy is the family economy, capable of satisfying, if not all of their needs, then a significant part of them. Technical development is extremely weak. In decision making, the main method is the trial and error method. Social relations are extremely poorly developed, as is social differentiation. Such societies are traditionally oriented and therefore directed 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, consumerist attitude to nature: in order to meet its actual needs, such a society strives for the fullest possible 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 decision-making method is empirical research.

Another very important feature of an industrial society is the so-called "modernizing 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 an industrial society. If an industrial society is characterized by a desire for the maximum development of industry, then in a post-industrial society, knowledge, technology and information play a much more noticeable (and ideally paramount) role. In addition, the service sector is developing at a rapid pace, 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 has faced the negative consequences of its own activities. For this reason, “environmental values” come to the fore, and this means not only a careful attitude to nature, but also an attentive attitude to the balance and harmony necessary for the adequate development of society.

The basis of a post-industrial society is information, which in turn gave rise to another type of society - informational. According to the proponents of the information society theory, 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.

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

Researchers are already using the term virtual society" to describe the modern type of society that has developed and is developing under the influence of information technologies, primarily Internet technologies. The virtual, or possible, world has become a new reality as a result of the computer boom that has swept society. Virtualization (replacement of reality with a simulation/image) of society, the 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 defining 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 person”; it focuses on new, “post-materialistic” values. The emphasis is shifting to social, humanitarian problems, and the priority issues are the quality and safety of life, self-realization of the individual in various social spheres, in connection with which new criteria for well-being and social well-being are being formed.

According to the concept of a 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 the history of mankind, in which three large-scale eras can be distinguished - pre-economic, economic and post-economic. Such periodization is based on two criteria - the type of 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 a person's economic activity is becoming more intense and complex, but is no longer determined by his material interests, is not set by the traditionally understood economic expediency. The economic basis of such a society is formed by the destruction of private property and a return to personal property, to a state of non-alienation of the worker from the instruments of production. The post-economic society is characterized by a new type of social confrontation - the confrontation between the information and intellectual elite and all the people who are not included in it, employed in the sphere of mass production and, because of this, forced out to the periphery of society. However, each member of such a society has the opportunity to enter the elite himself, since belonging to the elite is determined by abilities and knowledge.