UCSP primitive communities and the establishment of a

class-based society.
LOOKING BACK AT HUMAN BIOCULTURAL AND
• Engels later collaborated with Karl Marx and they
SOCIAL EVOLUTION
came up with the perspective that social
Chapter 5
institutions evolve primarily due to the struggle
There are three types of evolution:
between social classes over the means of
• Biological Evolution
production such as wealth and private property.
• Technological Evolution
Herbert Spencer
• Biocultural Evolution
• For Spencer, individual members within societies
Biological Evolution
engage in a competition for surevival whereby
• Refers to the process whereby organisms
the superior ones dominate whose who are of the
undergo various genetic and Physical Changes
inferior type.
that pave the way for biological diversity.
• This perspective believes that societies cannot
• It also continues to influence how people live and
be classified according to definite stages of
interact with other members of society.
development, and that one society cannot claim
Francisco Jose Ayala
to be more “advanced” than the other societies.
• The theory of evolution in biology suggest that
• Such perspective came to known as CULTURAL
“the various types of plants, animals, and other
RELATIVISM or the notion that an individual’s
living things on Earth have their origins in other
attitudes, beliefs, and ideas are based on the
pre-existing types and the distinguishable
cultural context of his or her society.
differences are due to modifications in
Cultural Relativism
successive generation.”
• The notion that an individual's attitude, beliefs,
Technological Evolution
and ideas are based on the cultural context of his
• Refers to the process where they learned to
or her society.
create various tools and equipment for their daily
• One society cannot claim to be "superior" than
task such as planting crops, domesticating
other societies.
animals and trade.
Franz Boas
Biocultural Evolution
• argued that human behavior is not rooted in
• Refers as “the mutual interactive evolution of
biology but is socially constructed.
human biology and culture”. The concept focuses
Sociologist mainly subscribe to 2 different ideas
on the idea that “biology makes culture possible
regarding the origins of social and political institution:
and that the developing culture further influences
1. There are those who subscribe to the idea that
the direction of biological evolution.”
evolution occurs bases on "stage of development"
The Evolution of Social and Political Institutions
such as Morgan and Engels.
Social Scientist assert that human beings are social
2. There are those who subscribe to the idea that one
beings. People are naturally inclined to live together and
stage does not necessarily precede or lead to
learn from continuous interaction with one another.
another stage like Franz Boas.
Lewis Henry Morgan
Band-level societies
• In the 19th century, the anthropologist who came
- The earliest societies were comprised of the hunter-
up with an evolutionary scheme that divided
gatherers
history into three stages: Savage stage
- They were basically small and nomadic family
(Savagery), Barbaric Stage (Barbarism), Civilized
groups and were plainly organized.
Stage (Civilization).
- These groups were believed to be highly egalitarian
• He stated that:
nonhierarchical since distinction were based on age,
• SAVAGE STAGE – is the lowest stage
sex, and division of labor was natural.
of development which is exemplified by
- Leadership was based on qualities such as
the nomadic and hunter-gatherer
strength, intelligence, and trustworthiness.
lifestyles.
- The leader did not exercise power to enforce rules
• BARBARIC STAGE – is the middle
and not given status in society.
stage of development where people
Tribe
began learning agricultural techniques
• This was more formal social organization made
and the domestication of animals.
up of several bands and groups what were
• CIVILIZED STAGE – is the highest
connected through a clan structure or kinship.
stage of development where people
• headman, The leader of the tribe was a more
learned writing
formal and established leader. He had significant
Friedrich Engels
influence among the tribes and was recognized
• Engels postulated that the accumulation of
as a person of great importance.
private property paved the way for the collapse of
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (1700's-1800's),
Western Europe
• caused the drastic transformation of societies,
through breakthroughs and introduction to social,
political and cultural changes in the lives of
people, particularly Europeans. They also made
a great impact in the growth of sociopolitical
institutions. Hence, the idea of political power
and control in monarchy and aristocracy started
to fade. In this case, Adam Smith's argument
about the role of the state being the facilitator of
the economy's growth and maintaining an
unregulated "free market" rose up.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE
• A principle of the non-intervention of the
government to economical affairs; the heart of
the doctrine: "economy works better off alone,
because it is always coursed into the equilibrium
of the market, explained by the theory of "perfect
competition', not dependent on government
policies and the interaction of the supply and
demand and; a perspective that the government's
intrusion is damaging, unless coursed to the
restrictions checking monopolies and stable
prices.
THEORIES ON SOCIETY AND STATE
• SOCIETY AS A NATURAL INSITUTION
• SOCIETY AS A PRODUCT OF SOCIAL
CONTRACT
SOCIETY AS A NATURAL INSITUTION
• Supported by Aristotle, this process, done by
humans and even animals help fulfill their
common and interrelated needs. He put
emphasis on this situation in the ¬¬¬, also known
as city-state, as the venue for the highest form of
interaction.
Aristotle
• the only one who distinguished society from
state, symbolized by a slave, and a master.
SOCIETY AS A PRODUCT OF SOCIAL CONTRACT
• This theory exposed the interaction of early
societies and states based on an agreement that
defined and influence the connections particularly
between the authorities and the people.
Thomas Hobbes
• believed that such agreements were made to
gain and guarantee security of the people as the
main role of rulers.
John Locke
• proposed that such agreements were formed to
provide fair and impartial law enforcement.
Max Weber
• He observed rationalization and
bureaucratization in industrial societies to be able
to express the idea: "functions have to be
performed by social institutions as societies
expand economically.
Bureaucracy
• French word bureau meaning "office" and from
the Greek word kratos meaning "hierarchy".
Emile Durkheim
• He described traditional societies to be bound by
mechanical solidarity and on the other hand,
developed societies are characterized to have
organic solidarity.
Mechanical solidarity
• a sense of bonding within the community based
on similar beliefs, values, and activities as well as
kinship ties between its members.
Organic solidarity
• where division of labor is more specialized.
Materialist Perspective:
• "Societies evolve in stages in relation to the
development of the means of production and its
ownership."
BUT…
 The main proponent of this perspective, Franz
Boas, argued that human behavior is not rooted
in biology but is socially constructed.
 Boas used empirical record to prove that much of
what social Darwinist attributed to race was
actually the product of environment and culture.
HENCE…
Sociologists mainly subscribe two different ideas
regarding the origins of social and political institutions.
1. The idea that evolution occurs based on “stages
of development” by Morgan and Engels.
2. The idea that one stage does not necessarily
precede or lead to another stage like Boas.
Types of Development of Social Organizations
1. HUNTING & GATHERING SOCIETIES
 Assigned the task of hunting to the men, while
women were employed in gathering.
 They were basically small and nomadic family
groups and were plainly organized.
 Leadership was based on qualities such as
strength, intelligence and trustworthiness.
2. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES
 The establishments of permanent settlements,
the invention of tools and the introduction of new
and varied tasks.
 The increasingly complex social interactions and
communication were significant changes in
human society that required new forms of social
and political organization.