Concepts of technical progress social science cluster. Social progress. The Problem of the Progressive Movement

Progress(from lat. progressus- advancement, success) is a type of development that is characterized by a transition from lower to higher, from simple to more complex, movement forward to more perfect.

Progress Features:

    The relativity of progress (the impossibility of applying this term to some areas, for example, art).

    Inconsistency of progress (the presence of positive consequences for one area, but at the same time negative for another, for example, industrial development negatively affects the environmental situation in the region).

Progress criteria:

    Development of the human mind.

    Improving people's morality.

    An increase in the degree of freedom that society can provide to an individual.

    Progress of science and technology.

    Development of the productive forces of society.

Regression(from lat. regressus- reverse movement) is a type of development that is characterized by a transition from higher to lower, processes of degradation, lowering the level of organization, loss of the ability to perform certain functions.

Stagnation(from lat. stagnum- standing water) - delay in social development.

Progress can develop in two most characteristic forms:

1) Reform(from lat. reformare- transform) - some kind of improvement in public life, carried out through a series of gradual transformations that do not affect the fundamental foundations of society (traditions, customs, church, family, etc.).

2) Revolution(from lat. revolutio- turn, return to origins) - a radical, qualitative change in all or most aspects of social life, affecting the foundations of the existing social system.

The following forms of social change predominate in modern society:

1) Innovation(from lat. innovation- update) - a one-time ordinary improvement associated with an increase in the adaptive capabilities of a social organism in given conditions.

2) Modernization(from fr. moderne- newest, modern) is the process of complete or partial reconstruction of the social system in order to accelerate its development.

QUESTIONS:

1. Below is a list of terms. All of them, with the exception of two, relate to the concept of “social regression”:

1) obsolete forms; 2) stagnation; 3) evolution; 4) stagnation; 5) return; 6) recession;

7) modernization.

2. (1−4). Read the text and complete tasks 1−4.

The modern information revolution leads to the formation of a new class in post-industrial societies, which we called the “class of intellectuals.” Western sociologists paid attention to this back in the late 1950s; Moreover, it is very characteristic that no traces were visible behind this process at that time. negative consequences. Since, according to popular belief, “information is the most democratic source of power,” most researchers came to the conclusion that the formation of a dominant class that is non-capitalist in nature leads to overcoming the class character of society, making it classless in the long run.

However, real socio-economic processes increasingly contradict such assumptions. With each new stage of the technological revolution, the “intellectual class” gains more and more power and redistributes more and more of public wealth in its favor. In the emerging new economic system, the process of self-increasing value of information goods turns out to be largely divorced from material production. As a result, the “class of intellectuals” turns out to be dependent on all other layers of society to a much lesser extent than the ruling classes of feudal or bourgeois societies were dependent on the activities of the peasants or proletarians they exploited. This creates the preconditions for the emergence of another class on the historical stage, uniting in its ranks those who are not able to actively participate in high-tech production. His share in social wealth is steadily declining, leaving no opportunities for improving his skills and replenishing the “class of intellectuals.” This social group, for the time being associated with the lower strata of the proletariat, by the early 1990s acquired a pronounced class definition, and it is impossible not to take it into account when analyzing the problems of modern society.

(B. L. Inozemtsev)

1) What new class of post-industrial society does the author note? What reason does he give for the appearance of this class? What, according to most sociologists, should be the consequence of the emergence of a new class?

2. The reason is the modern information revolution.

3. The consequence of the emergence of a new dominant class, non-capitalist in nature, will lead “to overcoming the class character of society, making it classless in the future.”

1. No, it does not.

2. Arguments:

1) With each new stage of the technological revolution, the “class of intellectuals” gains more and more power and redistributes more and more of public wealth in their favor.

2) In the emerging new economic system, the process of self-increasing value of information goods turns out to be largely divorced from material production.

3) The “class of intellectuals” turns out to be dependent on all other layers of society to a much lesser extent than the ruling classes of feudal or bourgeois societies were dependent on the activities of the peasants or proletarians they exploited.

3) What other new class does the author characterize? Based on social science knowledge, name any two social groups that can be included in this class. Briefly explain your choice.

1. The new class is a class that “unites in its ranks those who are not able to actively participate in high-tech production.”

2. Two social groups that can be included in this class:

1) Migrants from third world countries who, due to the language barrier and low material income, cannot afford high-tech education.

2) Adolescents (youth) from low-income families who, from a young age, have to take unskilled jobs to help the family. For the most part, they do not have enough money or time to receive a quality education, and they too can join a similar class.

4) Based on the text and social science knowledge, formulate three judgments about the role of information in the modern world.

Judgments about the role of information in the modern world:

1) In the modern economy, information is becoming one of the most important factors of production.

2) In the political sphere, information plays a vital role in governing the state, since by controlling the channels of information dissemination (television, radio, print media, the Internet), society can be manipulated.

3) Information plays a vital role in modern science, since most modern discoveries are made at the intersection of various disciplines (biology and chemistry, history and geography, etc.), and scientists need to constantly exchange the fruits of their research, which can only be done in a developed information society.

3. What meaning do social scientists give to the concept of “social progress”? Using knowledge from the social science course, write two sentences containing information about social progress.

1) Progress is a type of development that is characterized by a transition from lower to higher, from simple to more complex.

2) Social progress is characterized by such character traits as unevenness and inconsistency.

3) The main forms of social progress are reform and revolution.

4. You are instructed to prepare a detailed answer on the topic “Society as a dynamic system.” Make a plan according to which you will cover this topic. The plan must contain at least three points, of which two or more are detailed in subparagraphs.

1) The concept of society:

a) in the narrow sense of the word;

b) in the broad sense of the word.

2) Features of society as a dynamic, complex system:

a) the presence of subsystems of society and individual elements (economic, social, political and spiritual spheres);

b) constantly changing (some elements die off, others come to replace them);

c) has its own subjective laws of historical development;

d) unpredictability, non-linearity of development;

e) capable of transforming the world around him, including nature.

3) Main spheres of public life:

a) economic;

b) political;

c) social;

d) spiritual.

4) The relationship between society and nature.

Lecture:


Concepts of progress, regression, stagnation


The individual and society as a whole tend to strive for the best. Our fathers and grandfathers worked so that we could live better than them. In turn, we must take care of the future of our children. This desire of people contributes to social development, but it can proceed in both a progressive and regressive direction.

Social progress- this is the direction of social development from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect.

The term "social progress" is associated with the terms "innovation" and "modernization". Innovation is an innovation in any area that leads to its qualitative growth. And modernization is the updating of machines, equipment, and technical processes to bring them into line with the requirements of the time.

Social regression- this is the opposite direction of progress of social development from higher to lower, less perfect.

For example, population growth is progress, and its opposite, population decline, is regression. But there may be a period in the development of society when there are neither shifts nor recessions. This period is called stagnation.

Stagnation- a stagnant phenomenon in the development of society.


Criteria for social progress

In order to assess the presence of social progress and its effectiveness, there are criteria. The most important of them are:

  • Education and literacy of people.
  • The degree of their morality and tolerance.

    Democracy of society and the quality of realization of the rights and freedoms of citizens.

    Level of scientific and technical innovation.

    The level of labor productivity and the welfare of the people.

    Life expectancy level, population health status.

Paths of social progress

In what ways can social progress be achieved? There are three such paths: evolution, revolution, reform. The word evolution translated from Latin means “unfolding”, revolution means “coup”, and reform means “transformation”.

    Revolutionary path involves rapid fundamental changes in social and government foundations. This is the path of violence, destruction and sacrifice.

    An integral part of social development is reform - legal transformations in any sphere of society, carried out on the initiative of authorities without affecting existing framework. Reforms can be both evolutionary and revolutionary in nature. For example, reforms Peter I were of a revolutionary nature (remember the decree on cutting the beards of the boyars). And Russia’s transition since 2003 to the Bologna education system, for example, the introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard in schools, bachelor’s and master’s levels in universities, is a reform of an evolutionary nature.

The contradictions of social progress

The directions of social development listed above (progress, regression) occur interconnectedly in history. Often progress in one area can be accompanied by regression in another, progress in one country by regression in others. P The following examples illustrate the contradictory nature of social progress:

    The second half of the 20th century is marked by rapid progress in science - automation and computerization of production (progress). The development of this and other branches of science requires enormous expenditures of electricity, thermal and atomic energy. Scientific and technological revolution has brought all of modern humanity to the brink of environmental disaster (regression).

    The invention of technical devices certainly makes a person’s life easier (progress), but negatively affects his health (regression).

    The power of Macedonia - the country of Alexander the Great (progress) was based on the destruction of other countries (regression).

47. Social progress. The contradictory nature of its content. Criteria for social progress. Humanism and culture

Progress in in a general sense- this is development from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect, from simple to complex.

Social progress is the gradual cultural and social development of humanity.

The idea of ​​the progress of human society began to take shape in philosophy from ancient times and was based on the facts of man’s mental movement forward, which was expressed in man’s constant acquisition and accumulation of new knowledge, allowing him to increasingly reduce his dependence on nature.

Thus, the idea of ​​social progress originated in philosophy on the basis of objective observations of socio-cultural transformations of human society.

Since philosophy considers the world as a whole, then, adding ethical aspects to the objective facts of socio-cultural progress, it came to the conclusion that the development and improvement of human morality is not the same unambiguous and indisputable fact as the development of knowledge, general culture, science, medicine , social guarantees of society, etc.

However, accepting, in general, the idea of ​​social progress, that is, the idea that humanity, after all, moves forward in its development in all the main components of its existence, and in the moral sense too, philosophy, thereby, expresses his position of historical optimism and faith in man.

However, at the same time in philosophy there is no unified theory of social progress, since different philosophical movements have different understandings of the content of progress, its causal mechanism, and in general the criteria of progress as a fact of history. The main groups of theories of social progress can be classified as follows:

1. Theories of natural progress. This group of theories claims the natural progress of humanity, which occurs naturally due to natural circumstances.

The main factor of progress here is considered to be the natural ability of the human mind to increase and accumulate the amount of knowledge about nature and society.

In these teachings, the human mind is endowed with unlimited power and, accordingly, progress is considered a historically endless and non-stop phenomenon.

- 2. Dialectical concepts of social progress. These teachings believe that progress is an internally natural phenomenon for society, inherent in it organically. In them, progress is the form and goal of the very existence of human society, and the dialectical concepts themselves are divided into idealistic and materialistic: social progress are closer to theories about the natural course of progress in that connect the principle of progress with the principle of thinking (the Absolute, the Supreme Mind, the Absolute Idea, etc.).

Materialistic concepts of social progress (Marxism) connect progress with the internal laws of socio-economic processes in society.

3. Evolutionary theories of social progress.

These theories arose in attempts to place the idea of ​​progress on a strictly scientific basis. The starting principle of these theories is the idea of ​​the evolutionary nature of progress, that is, the presence in human history of certain constant facts of complication of cultural and social reality, which should be considered strictly as scientific facts - only from the outside of their indisputably observable phenomena, without giving any positive or negative ratings.

The ideal of the evolutionary approach is a system of natural science knowledge, where scientific facts are collected, but no ethical or emotional assessments are provided for them.

As a result of this natural scientific method of analyzing social progress, evolutionary theories identify two sides of the historical development of society as scientific facts:

Graduality and

The presence of a natural cause-and-effect pattern in processes.

Thus, evolutionary approach to the idea of ​​progress

recognizes the existence of certain laws of social development, which, however, do not determine anything other than the process of spontaneous and inexorable complication of forms social relations, which is accompanied by the effects of intensification, differentiation, integration, expansion of the set of functions, etc.

The whole variety of philosophical teachings about progress is generated by their differences in explaining the main question - why the development of society occurs precisely in a progressive direction, and not in all other possibilities: circular motion, lack of development, cyclical “progress-regression” development, flat development without qualitative growth, regressive movement, etc.?

All these development options are equally possible for human society, along with the progressive type of development, and so far no single reasons have been put forward by philosophy to explain the presence of progressive development in human history.

In addition, the very concept of progress, if applied not to the external indicators of human society, but to the internal state of a person, becomes even more controversial, since it is impossible to assert with historical certainty that a person at more developed socio-cultural stages of society becomes happier personally . In this sense, it is impossible to talk about progress as a factor that generally improves a person’s life. This applies to past history (it cannot be argued that the ancient Hellenes were less happy than the inhabitants of Europe in modern times, or that the population of Sumer was less satisfied with the course of their personal lives than modern Americans, etc.), and with particular force inherent in the modern stage of development of human society.

Current social progress has given rise to many factors that, on the contrary, complicate a person’s life, suppress him mentally and even create a threat to his existence.

Many achievements of modern civilization are beginning to fit worse and worse into the psychophysiological capabilities of man. From here arise such factors of modern human life as an overabundance of stressful situations, neuropsychic traumatism, fear of life, loneliness, apathy towards spirituality, oversaturation of unnecessary information, a shift in life values ​​to primitivism, pessimism, moral indifference, a general breakdown in the physical and psychological state, unprecedented in history of the level of alcoholism, drug addiction and spiritual oppression of people.

A paradox of modern civilization has arisen: V Everyday life

Man has ceased to meet the requirements of modern life in his psychophysical capabilities, and human progress, at its current stage, has already caused global psychophysical trauma to humanity and continues to develop along the same main directions.

In addition, current scientific and technological progress has generated environmentally crisis situation modern world, the nature of which allows us to talk about a threat to the very existence of man on the planet. If the current growth trends continue in the conditions of a finite planet in terms of its resources, the next generations of humanity will reach the limits of the demographic and economic level, beyond which the collapse of human civilization will occur.

The current situation with ecology and human neuropsychic trauma has stimulated discussion of the problem of both progress itself and the problem of its criteria. Currently, based on the results of understanding these problems, the concept of a new understanding of culture arises, which requires understanding it not as a simple sum of human achievements in all areas of life, but as a phenomenon designed to purposefully serve a person and favor all aspects of his life.

Thus, the issue of the need to humanize culture is resolved, that is, the priority of man and his life in all assessments of the cultural state of society.

In the outline of these discussions it is natural the problem of criteria for social progress arises, since, as historical practice has shown, consideration of social progress simply by the fact of improvement and complication of socio-cultural circumstances of life does not give anything to resolve the main question - is the current process of its social development positive or not in its outcome for humanity?

The following are recognized as positive criteria for social progress today:

1. Economic criterion.

The development of society from the economic side must be accompanied by an increase in human living standards, the elimination of poverty, the elimination of hunger, mass epidemics, high social guarantees for old age, illness, disability, etc.

2. Level of humanization of society.

Society must grow:

the degree of various freedoms, the general security of a person, the level of access to education, to material goods, the ability to satisfy spiritual needs, respect for his rights, opportunities for recreation, etc.,

and go down:

the influence of life circumstances on a person’s psychophysical health, the degree of a person’s subordination to the rhythm of working life.

The general indicator of these social factors is the average human lifespan.

3. Progress in moral and spiritual development of the individual.

Society must become more and more moral, moral standards must be strengthened and improved, and each person must receive more and more time and opportunities for developing their abilities, for self-education, for creative activity and spiritual work.

Thus, the main criteria of progress have now shifted from production-economic, scientific-technical, socio-political factors towards humanism, that is, towards the priority of man and his social destiny.

Hence,

The main meaning of culture and the main criterion of progress is the humanism of the processes and results of social development.

Basic terms

HUMANISM- a system of views that expresses the principle of recognizing a person’s personality as the main value of existence.

CULTURE(in a broad sense) - the level of material and spiritual development of society.

SOCIAL PROGRESS- gradual cultural and social development of humanity.

PROGRESS- ascending development from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect, from simple to more complex.

4. Social progress Progress (from the Latin progressus - movement forward) is a direction of development that is characterized by a transition from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect.C Merit for putting forward the idea and developing the theory of social

Criteria for social progress The world community's thoughts about the “limits of growth” have significantly updated the problem of criteria for social progress. Indeed, if in the social world around us not everything is as simple as it seemed and seems to progressives,

National movements and social progress There is another large social group, the influence of which as a subject of social development became especially active in the last third of the 19th century. We mean nations. The movements they make, as well as the movements

2. Social progress: civilizations and formations The emergence of the theory of social progress In contrast to primitive society, where extremely slow changes stretch over many generations, already in ancient civilizations social changes and development begin

History as progress. The contradictory nature of social progress Progress is a characteristic of such a universal property of matter as movement, but in its application to social matter. One of the universal properties of matter, as shown earlier, is motion. IN

12. The philosophy of Marxism, the main stages of its development and its most prominent representatives. Basic provisions of the materialistic understanding of history. Social progress and its criteria Marxism is a dialectical-materialist philosophy, the foundations of which were laid by Karl Marx and

43. Moral and aesthetic forms of social consciousness. Their role in the formation of the spiritual and intellectual content of the individual Morality is a concept that is synonymous with morality. Morality is a set of norms and rules of human behavior developed

7.6. Scientific and technological progress, public control and public administration Public administration is the organizing and regulating activities of various public and state branches of government acting on behalf of the basic laws of society (V. E.

2. The contradictory nature of the development of truth The main thesis of materialist dialectics in the doctrine of truth is the recognition of its objective nature. Objective truth is the content of human ideas that does not depend on the subject, i.e.

Chapter XVIII. SOCIAL PROGRESS

4. Political culture and technological development: the end of consent to progress? Modernization in the political system narrows the freedom of action of politics. Realized political utopias (democracy, social state) are constraining - legally, economically, socially.

All societies are in constant development, in the process of change and transition from one state to another. At the same time, sociologists distinguish two directions and three main forms of social movement. Let's look at the essence first progressive and regressive directions.

Progress(from Latin progressus – movement forward, success) means development with an upward tendency, movement from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect. It leads to positive changes in society and manifests itself, for example, in the improvement of means of production and labor, in the development of the social division of labor and the growth of its productivity, in new achievements in science and culture, improvement in people’s living conditions, their comprehensive development, etc.

Regression(from Latin regressus - reverse movement), on the contrary, implies development with a downward tendency, movement backward, transition from higher to lower, which leads to negative consequences. It can manifest itself, say, in a decrease in production efficiency and the level of people’s well-being, in the spread of smoking, drunkenness, drug addiction in society, deterioration in public health, an increase in mortality, a drop in the level of spirituality and morality of people, etc.

Which path is society taking: the path of progress or regression? People's idea of ​​the future depends on the answer to this question: does it bring a better life or does it not promise anything good?

Ancient Greek poet Hesiod (8th-7th centuries BC) wrote about five stages in the life of mankind.

The first stage was "golden age", when people lived easily and carelessly.

Second - "silver Age" - the beginning of the decline of morality and piety. Descending lower and lower, people found themselves in "Iron Age" when evil and violence reign everywhere, justice is trampled underfoot.

How did Hesiod see the path of humanity: progressive or regressive?

Unlike Hesiod, ancient philosophers

Plato and Aristotle viewed history as a cyclical cycle, repeating the same stages.


The development of the idea of ​​historical progress is associated with the achievements of science, crafts, arts, and the revitalization of public life during the Renaissance.

One of the first to put forward the theory of social progress was the French philosopher Anne Robbert Turgot (1727-1781).

His contemporary, French philosopher-enlightenment Jacques Antoine Condorcet (1743-1794) sees historical progress as a path of social progress, at the center of which is the upward development of the human mind.

K. Marx believed that humanity was moving toward greater mastery of nature, the development of production and man himself.

Let us recall the facts from the history of the 19th-20th centuries. Revolutions were often followed by counter-revolutions, reforms by counter-reforms, radical changes in the political system by the restoration of the old order.

Think about what examples from national or world history can illustrate this idea.

If we tried to depict the progress of mankind graphically, we would end up with not a straight line, but a broken line, reflecting ups and downs. In history different countries There were periods when reaction triumphed, when the progressive forces of society were persecuted. For example, what disasters did fascism bring to Europe: the death of millions, the enslavement of many peoples, the destruction of cultural centers, bonfires from the books of the greatest thinkers and artists, the cult of brute force.

Individual changes occurring in different areas of society can be multidirectional, i.e. progress in one area may be accompanied by regression in another.

Thus, throughout history, the progress of technology can be clearly traced: from stone tools to iron ones, from hand tools to machines, etc. But the progress of technology and the development of industry led to the destruction of nature.

Thus, progress in one area was accompanied by regression in another. The progress of science and technology has had mixed consequences. The use of computer technology has not only expanded the possibilities of work, but has led to new diseases associated with prolonged work at the display: visual impairment, etc.

The growth of large cities, the complication of production and the rhythms of everyday life have increased the load on the human body and created stress. Modern history, just like the past, is perceived as the result of people’s creativity, where both progress and regression take place.


Humanity as a whole is characterized by upward development. Evidence of global social progress, in particular, can be not only an increase in material well-being and social security of people, but also a weakening of confrontation (confrontation – from Latin con – against + irons – front – confrontation, confrontation) between classes and peoples of different countries, the desire for peace and cooperation of an increasing number of earthlings, the establishment of political democracy, the development of universal morality and a genuine humanistic culture, of everything human in man, finally.

Further, scientists believe that an important sign of social progress is the growing tendency towards human liberation - liberation (a) from state suppression, (b) from the dictates of the collective, (c) from any exploitation, (d) from the enclosure of living space, (e) from fear for your safety and future. In other words, the trend towards expanding and increasingly effective protection throughout the world civil rights and freedoms of people.

In terms of the degree to which citizens' rights and freedoms are ensured, the modern world presents a very motley picture. Thus, according to the estimates of the American organization in support of democracy in the world community, Freedom House (English: Freedom House, founded in 1941), which annually publishes a “freedom map” of the world, from 191 countries of the planet in 1997.

– 79 were completely free;

– partially free (which includes Russia) – 59;

– unfree – 53. Among the latter, the 17 most unfree states (the “worst of the worst” category) are highlighted – such as Afghanistan, Burma, Iraq, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and others. The geography of the spread of freedom across to the globe: its main foci are concentrated in Western Europe and North America. At the same time, out of 53 African countries, only 9 are recognized as free, and among Arab countries - not a single one.

Progress can also be seen in human relationships themselves. More and more people understand that they must learn to live together and abide by the laws of society, must respect other people's living standards and be able to seek compromises (compromise - from Latin compromissum - agreement based on mutual concessions), must suppress their own aggressiveness, appreciate and protect nature and everything that previous generations have created. These are encouraging signs that humanity is steadily moving towards relationships of solidarity, harmony and goodness.


Regression is often local in nature, i.e. it concerns either individual societies or spheres of life, or individual periods. For example, while Norway, Finland and Japan (our neighbors) and other Western countries were confidently climbing the steps of progress and prosperity, the Soviet Union and its “comrades in socialist misfortune” [Bulgaria, East Germany, Poland, Romania , Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and others] regressed, sliding uncontrollably in the 1970s and 80s. into the abyss of collapse and crisis. Moreover, progress and regression are often intricately intertwined.

So, in Russia in the 1990s, both of them clearly take place. A decline in production, a break in previous economic ties between factories, a decline in the standard of living of many people and an increase in crime are obvious “marks” of regression. But there is also the opposite - signs of progress: the liberation of society from Soviet totalitarianism and the dictatorship of the CPSU, the beginning of the movement towards the market and democracy, the expansion of the rights and freedoms of citizens, significant freedom of the media, the transition from the Cold War to peaceful cooperation with the West, etc.

Questions and tasks

1. Define progress and regression.

2. How was the path of humanity viewed in ancient times?

3. What changed about this during the Renaissance?

4. Given the ambiguity of change, is it possible to talk about social progress as a whole?

5. Think about the questions posed in one of the philosophical books: is it progress to replace an arrow with a firearm, or a flintlock with a machine gun? Can replacing red-hot tongs during torture be considered progress? electric shock? Justify your answer.

6. Which of the following can be attributed to the contradictions of social progress:

A) the development of technology leads to the emergence of both means of creation and means of destruction;

B) the development of production leads to changes social status worker;

C) the development of scientific knowledge leads to a change in a person’s ideas about the world;

D) human culture undergoes changes under the influence of production.

Formational and civilizational approaches

3.2.1. Socio-economic formation- a historically specific type of society that arises on the basis of a specific method of production of material goods

Marxism: change of formations primitive - communal, feudal, capitalist, communist (1930 socialism, communism)

Features and concepts of the formational approach

basis ( production relations that develop between people in the process of production, distribution, exchange and consumption of material goods). It is based on property relations

- superstructure – a set of legal, political, ideological, religious, cultural and other institutions and relations.

- production relations and productive forces ( people, tools) = method of production

- social revolution– with the development of productive forces and the aging of the production method

Principles of the approach: universality, patterns of change in socio-economic formations

3.2.2.Civilization- level, stage of development of society, material and spiritual culture, following barbarism and savagery. Civilizations differ from each other: in their specific way of life, value system, and ways of interrelating with the outside world.

Today scientists distinguish between Western and Eastern civilizations.

Comparison of Western and Eastern civilization

Progress

3.3.1. Progress (moving forward) – transition from lower to higher, from simple to complex, from imperfect to more perfect.

Social progress- this is a world-historical process, which is characterized by the ascent of humanity from primitiveness (savagery) to civilization, which is based on scientific, technical, political, legal, moral and ethical achievements.

Regression (movement backwards) – transition from higher to lower, degradation.

3.3.2..Types of social progress

· Progress of science and technology (NTP, NTR)

· Progress in the development of productive forces (industrial revolution)

· Political progress (transition from totalitarianism to democracy)

· Progress in the field of culture (recognition of man as the highest value)

3.3.3. Criteria for social progress:

Criterionan indicator by which something can be assessed

§ development of the human mind

§ development of science and technology

§ development of productive forces

§ growth in living standards, degree of social protection

§ improving people's morality (humanism)

§ degree of individual freedom in society

The contradictions of social progress

3.3.5. Indicators of progressive development of society:

● average human life expectancy

● infant mortality

● health status

● level and quality of education

● level of cultural development

● feeling of satisfaction with life

● degree of respect for human rights

● attitude towards nature

Humanity as a whole has never regressed, but has stopped developing for a while - stagnation