Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Full Chapter Social and Cultural Dynamics A Study of Change in Major Systems of Art Truth Ethics Law and Social Relationships First Edition Edition Pitirim Sorokin PDF
Full Chapter Social and Cultural Dynamics A Study of Change in Major Systems of Art Truth Ethics Law and Social Relationships First Edition Edition Pitirim Sorokin PDF
https://textbookfull.com/product/personal-relationships-and-
intimacy-in-the-age-of-social-media-cristina-miguel/
https://textbookfull.com/product/coercion-and-responsibility-in-
islam-a-study-in-ethics-and-law-1st-edition-syed/
https://textbookfull.com/product/climate-change-and-future-rice-
production-in-india-a-cross-country-study-of-major-rice-growing-
states-of-india-k-palanisami/
https://textbookfull.com/product/teaching-music-in-american-
society-a-social-and-cultural-understanding-of-music-education-
kelly/
Roman Strigillated Sarcophagi: Art and Social History
First Edition Janet Huskinson
https://textbookfull.com/product/roman-strigillated-sarcophagi-
art-and-social-history-first-edition-janet-huskinson/
https://textbookfull.com/product/jus-cogens-international-law-
and-social-contract-first-paperback-edition-weatherall/
https://textbookfull.com/product/chinese-traditional-theatre-and-
male-dan-social-power-cultural-change-and-gender-relations-1st-
edition-chao/
https://textbookfull.com/product/the-holocaust-and-european-
societies-social-processes-and-social-dynamics-1st-edition-frank-
bajohr/
https://textbookfull.com/product/islamic-law-and-society-in-iran-
a-social-history-of-qajar-tehran-1st-edition-nobuaki-kondo/
SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL DYNAMICS
Transaction Social Science Classics
PITIRIM SOROKIN
Π Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 1985 by Transaction Publishers
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Punishment. The years 1914-1916 were spent preparing for his M.A.
examinations; the reading list prepared by his three professors consisted
of some 900 books in criminal law, criminal procedure, and constitu
tional law.
Sorokin received his M.A. in 1916, and after the collapse of the czarist
regime he was appointed secretary of Prime Minister Kerensky. He also
found time to marry Elena Baratynskaya; the wedding was sandwiched
in between committee meetings. When the Provisional Government
fell, Sorokin again found himself on the “wanted” list for his outspoken
attacks against the Bolsheviks. In 1918 he was arrested and charged with
plotting to assassinate Lenin. Influential friends obtained his release
from prison, but he immediately involved himself in military opera
tions against the Bolsheviks in Archangel. When this effort failed,
Sorokin and a companion went into hiding in a forest for two months.
Finally, to protect friends who were harboring him, he gave himself up to
the Chekha police. He was sentenced to death, but again influential
friends persuaded Lenin that he was a good candidate for rehabilitation.
(His two brothers were not so fortunate; both lost their lives during this
period.)
In 1919 Sorokin returned to his posts at the University of St. Peters
burg and the Psycho-Neurological Institute. In 1921 he conducted a
study of the effects of mass starvation in the countryside, and in 1922 his
doctoral dissertation, System o f Sociology, was illegally printed. By Sep
tember of 1922 the Soviet Union had had its fill of Professor Sorokin,
and he was exiled. A series of lectures in Berlin and Prague led to an
offer to visit the United States in 1924, and a permanent appointment at
the University of Minnesota. While there he published several books on
social mobility, rural sociology, the sociology of revolution, and so
ciological theory. In 1930 he was invited to organize the Department of
Social Relations at Harvard University, where he remained until his
retirement in 1959. (Two sons were born in 1931 and 1933, but in his
autobiography Sorokin says very little about his family except to note
with satisfaction their academic accomplishments.) In 1949 he estab
lished the Harvard Research Center in Creative Altruism, devoted to the
study of positive forces in human behavior. In 1960 he became the first
president of the International Society for the Comparative Study of
C ivilizations, and in 1964 served as president o f the Am erican
Sociological Association.
According to Carl Zimmerman ( 1968), Sorokin’s legacy to the disci
pline of sociology includes some 500 articles and about 40 books. His
books have been translated into 17 languages, and a number of books,
dissertations, articles, and reviews have been written about Sorokin and
INTRO D U CTIO N TO THE TRAN SACTION EDITION
his work. Since its first year of publication in 1953 through 1978, So
ciological Abstracts listed 72 articles about Sorokin in the subject index,
and this average of approximately three articles per year holds constant
even after his death in 1968. In his final tribute to Sorokin, Arnold
Toynbee expressed the opinion that
cember 1941). The most vitriolic attack came from Lewis Mumford,
who charged Sorokin with blindness, confusion, puerility, and “lack of
emotional poise” {The New Republic, July 14, 1937).
In an interesting analysis of 30 reviews of the Dynamics published in
the United States, Tibbs ( 1943) found that 11 were positive, 11 were
negative, and eight were neutral or mixed. He concluded:
Period Classification
The pattern obtained by Sorokin for art periods matches quite well
the rhythm of truth systems, but the fit is not perfect because of the
relatively loose integration of the various components of culture.
As indicated earlier in this paper, the remainder of Sorokin’s data
deals with crisis phenomena. For example, his examination of criminal
statutes indicates that the severity of punishment is a function of the
integration of the system rather than the type. In periods of transition,
government becomes more repressive. By the same token, wars and
internal disturbances increase in magnitude during transitional periods
and have reached a crescendo in the twentieth century, the bloodiest
period in human history.
The implications of all this are profound. From the standpoint of
epistemology, the most controversial point is that the scientific method
of apprehending reality is not the only valid one. Equally valid is the
truth of faith: insight, intuition, revelation. Even time and space are
relative to the sociocultural context in which they occur. This does not
IN TRO D U CTIO N TO THE TRAN SACTION EDITION
C r it ic is m
range; he does not cover the same time-frame, and he is not interested
in aesthetics or science or other non-political or non-economic catego
ries that Sorokin includes. Sorokin claims that it is sociology’s province
to explore total society; he encourages inter-disciplinary activity.
You would think, by now, that he would be outdated; that there would
have appeared a sociologist with Sorokin’s range, but better meth
odological tools. But too often the methodological tools have had the
effect of narrowing the range, of forcing the practitioner to choose
problems appropriate for the tools instead of shaping the tools to fit
the problem. The result is that Sorokin’s paradigm still awaits
development.
of C.I.A. and F.B.I. activities, and the belief that corruption is limited to
state and municipal levels could no longer be sustained after the Water
gate scandal. As we have already seen, “big business” is also becoming a
term of opprobrium among college youth. While large segments of the
public will probably always react with shoulder-shrugging indifference
to these revelations, others are participating in various reform move
ments. The conservation and ecology movements, as well as consumer
advocacy groups, are good examples of the reaction against sensate
values.
Ideational Values
I m p l i c a t i o n s f o r D e v e l o p m e n t in t h e T h i r d W o r l d
themselves rather than with the temperate lands (Lewis, 1969, p. 15).
According to Claude Alvares, they should also reduce their dependency
on Western technology. “Advanced” technology is not necessarily appro
priate technology, and in any case the transfer of technology from indus
trial nations to LDCs tends to produce a crippling dependency in the
recipient nations (Alvares, 1976, p. 382 ). The main reason why China is
ahead of India today is that circumstances force her to remain more
xenophobic and self-reliant.
At the same time that economists are anticipating a slowing down of
economic growth and a shift of priorities and values, the new nations
have announced their determination to raise their share of world indus
trial production from its present level of 7 percent to 25 percent by the
year 2000 . This has been termed a “ modest” objective; it could be more.
If this goal is realized, what effect would it have on the West?
The increase could be absorbed without dislocation, if we assume a
continuing high level of world industrial growth (8 percent or more). On
the basis of current projections of 5 percent the picture is very different.
According to one calculation, this would be barely sufficient to maintain
employment in the United States at its present depressed level. If we add
to this an increasing share on the part of the socialist economies, the
effect would be to wreck the absolute position of the West, and relegate it
to a relatively weak position. “ In other words, the wheel which carried
the West to preeminence in 1900 will have turned again in 2000 ” (Al
vares, 1976, p. 367 ).
In the last of the 41 papers published by the Joint Economic Commit
tee, Ronald Muller supports this conclusion. In his view, the “balance of
negotiating power is clearly shifting from the MNCs (multinational cor
porations) to national governments in the Third World, in turn, shifting
the terms o f trade between rich and poor nations in favor of the latter.”
(Muller, 1977, p. 74 ).
Muller’s assessment of the situation is quite consistent with a predic
tion made by Sorokin some 20 years ago. In the foreword to The Crisis
o f Our Age, Sorokin predicted that the center of the world influence
would shift from the Western world to the nations of Asia and Africa.
He did not tell us exactly how this would happen, but the pattern is now
becoming more clear.
N otes
3. The best critiques are to be found in Allen (1963) and Schneider (1964). For
an empirical test of Sorokin’s model, see Simonton (1976). Using factor
analysis, Simonton found that sensate and ideational philosophies are
positively rather than negatively associated, and that both flourish during
periods that are conducive to creativity. In periods that are not, sensate
ideas decline relatively more than ideational ideas.
4. For a baseline study, see my trend survey (Richard, 1965).
5. In his 1957 foreword to Crisis o f Our Age, Sorokin acknowledges his error in
predicting a decline in the rate of scientific discoveries and inventions.
R eferences
Adelman, Irma. 1977. “Interaction of U.S. and Foreign Economic Growth Rates
and Patterns.” In U.S. Congress, U.S. Economic Growth From 1976 to
1986: Prospects, Problems and Patterns, vol. 12, pp. 1-15.
Allen, Phillip J. Ed. 1963. Pitirim A. Sorokin in Review. Durham, N.C.: Duke
University Press.
Alvares, Claude Alphonso. 1976. “Homo Faber: Technology and Culture in
India, China and the West, 1500-1972.” Doctoral dissertation, University of
Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Cowell, F. Richard. 1952. History, Civilization and Culture: An Introduction to
the Historical and Social Philosophy o f Pitirim A. Sorokin. Boston: Beacon.
Kahn, Herman. 1976. “Current, Medium, and Long-Term Economic Pros
pects.” In U.S. Congress, U.S. Economic Growth From 1976 to 1986: Pros
pects, Problems and Patterns, vol. 7, pp. 1-45.
Lannoy, Richard. 1971. The Speaking Tree: A Study of Indian Culture and
Society. London, New York: Oxford University Press.
Lewis, Sir Arthur W. 1969. Some Aspects o f Economic Development. New York:
Panther House.
Meadows, Donella H., et al. 1972. The Limits o f Growth. New York: New
American Library.
Muller, Ronald E. 1977. “National Economic Growth and Stabilization Policy
in the Age of Multinational Corporations: The Challenge of Our
Postmarket Economy.” In U.S. Congress, U.S. Economic Growth From
1976 to 1986: Prospects, Problems and Patterns vol. 12, pp. 35-79.
Oltmans, Willem. Ed. 1974-75. On Growth, 2 Vols. New York: Capricorn.
Pirages, Dennis C. 1977. “U.S. Growth Policy and the International Economy.”
In U.S. Congress, U.S. Economic Growth From 1976 to 1986: Prospects,
Problems and Patterns vol. 12, pp. 16-34.
Richard, Michel Paul. 1965. “Space and Public Opinion: A Trend Survey,”
Sociology and Social Research 46 (July), pp. 437-45.
Richard, Michel Paul. 1978. “Sorokin’s Scenario for the West: Implications for
Third World Development.” Paper presented at the IX World Congress of
Sociology, Uppsala.
Schneider, Louis. 1964. “Toward Assessment of Sorokin’s View of Change.” In
George K. Zollschan and Walter Hirsch, Explorations in Social Change.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, pp. 371-400.
Simonton, Dean Keith. 1976. “Does Sorokin’s Data Support His Theory?: A
Study of Generational Fluctuations in Philosophical Beliefs,” Journal for
the Scientific Study o f Religion 15 (June), pp. 187-98.
IN TRO D U CTIO N TO THE TRAN SACTION EDITION XIX
are based ; and, finally, (5) the first eleven chapters of the fourth
volume. Of these omitted parts, the numbers : 2, 3, 4, 5 are cut out
not because they are unimportant, but for the reason that they are
not urgently necessary for comprehension of the basic conceptual
framework of the Dynamics, and because they can easily be found b y
any probing researcher in the unabridged edition of the work. So
much for explanation of what is omitted and reproduced in this
abridged edition.
N ow a few words about what is added to, and changed from the
original text of the work. Besides a basic bibliography, a few short
paragraphs are added to bring the development of main trends and
fluctuations up to date. While the quantitative evidence and quali
tative analysis of Dynamics (published in 1937-41) does not go be
yond the years 1925-30, added paragraphs outline briefly what, if
any, important changes have occurred during this recent period, also
which of the old trends have continued, and whether several forecast
ings of the Dynamics have come to pass. In this way, the analysis of
the Western sociocultural world is brought up to date.
As to the changes in the original text of the work, practically no
change is made because none is needed. Since the original publication
historical events have been unfolding according to its diagnosis and
prognosis, and its main forecastings have been coming to pass during
the last tw enty years. There is no need for correction of any of its
significant propositions, since up to this moment, the historical
processes have been proceeding as outlined.
In accordance with these prognoses, three basic processes of the
last few decades have consisted in : (a) an epochal shift of the creative
center of mankind from Europe to the larger area of the Pacific-
A tlantic ; (b) in a progressive disintegration of Sensate culture,
society, and man ; and (c) in an emergence and slow growth of the
first seedlings of the new — Idealistic or Ideational— sociocul
tural order.
W e all know that up to roughly the fourteenth century the creative
leadership of mankind was carried on b y the peoples and nations of
Asia and Africa. While our forefathers in the W est had still a most
primitive w ay of life and culture, in Africa and Asia the great civiliza
tions— the Egyptian, the Babylonic, the Iranic, the Summerian,
the H ittite, the Hindu, the Chinese, the Mediterranean (the Creto-
M ycenaean, the Graeco-Roman, the Arabic) and others— emerged,
FOREWORD XXili
P art O n e : Introductory
P a r t T h r e e : F l u c t u a t io n o f I d e a t io n a l , I d e a l is t ic
and Se n s a t e Sy s t e m s o f T r u t h a n d K n o w l e d g e
P a r t F o u r : F l u c t u a t io n o f I d e a t io n a l a n d Se n s a t e F orm s
of E t h ic a l a n d J u r id ic a l C u l t u r e M e n t a l it y
P a r t F i v e : T y p e s a n d F l u c t u a t io n o f t h e Sy s t e m s
of S o c ia l R e l a t io n s h ip s
P a r t Si x : F l u c t u a t io n o f W a r in I n t e r g r o u p R e l a t io n s h ip s
P a r t Se v e n : F l u c t u a t io n o f I n t e r n a l D is t u r b a n c e s
in I n t r a g r o u p R e l a t io n s h ip s
P a r t E ig h t : C u l t u r e , P e r s o n a l it y , a n d C o n d u ct
CONSTANTINOPLE: A. D. 1896.
Attack of Armenian revolutionists on the Ottoman Bank,
and subsequent Turkish massacre of Armenians.
{155}
THE CONSTITUTION.
This Constitution is divided as follows:-
The Schedule.
{156}
12. The Governor of any State may cause writs to be issued for
elections of senators for the State. In case of the
dissolution of the Senate the writs shall be issued within ten
days from the proclamation of such dissolution.
13. As soon as may be after the Senate first meets, and after
each first meeting of the Senate following a dissolution
thereof, the Senate shall divide the senators chosen for each
State into two classes, as nearly equal in number as
practicable; and the places of the senators of the first class
shall become vacant at the expiration of the third year, and the
places of those of the second class at the expiration of the
sixth year, from the beginning of their term of service; and
afterwards the places of senators shall become vacant at the
expiration of six years from the beginning of their term of
service. The election to fill vacant places shall be made in
the year at the expiration of which the places are to become
vacant. For the purposes of this section the term of service
of a senator shall be taken to begin on the first day of
January following the day of his election, except in the cases
of the first election and of the election next after any
dissolution of the Senate, when it shall be taken to begin on
the first day of January preceding the day of his election.
{157}
{158}
50. Each House of the Parliament may make rules and orders
with respect to—
(i.) Trade and commerce with other countries, and among the
States;
(ix.) Quarantine:
(xxi.) Marriage:
(xxvi.) The people of any race, other than the aboriginal race
in any State, for whom it is deemed necessary to make special
laws:
{159}
55. Laws imposing taxation shall deal only with the imposition
of taxation, and any provision therein dealing with any other
matter shall be of no effect. Laws imposing taxation, except
laws imposing duties of customs or of excise, shall deal with
one subject of taxation only; but laws imposing duties of
customs shall deal with duties of customs only, and laws
imposing duties of excise shall deal with duties of excise
only.