Examples of the dynamic development of society. What characterizes society as a dynamic system

In philosophy, society is defined as a "dynamic system". The word "system" is translated from Greek as "a whole, consisting of parts." Society as a dynamic system includes parts, elements, subsystems interacting with each other, as well as connections and relationships between them. It changes, develops, new parts or subsystems appear and old parts or subsystems disappear, they change, acquire new forms and qualities.

Society as a dynamic system has a complex multilevel structure and includes a large number of levels, sublevels and elements. For example, human society on a global scale includes many societies in the form of different states, which in turn consist of various social groups, and a person is included in them.

Consists of four subsystems, which are the main human - political, economic, social and spiritual. Each sphere has its own structure and is itself also a complex system. So, for example, it is a system that includes a huge number of components - parties, government, parliament, public organizations and more. But government can also be seen as a system with many components.

Each is a subsystem in relation to the whole society, but at the same time it is a rather complex system itself. Thus, we already have a hierarchy of the systems and subsystems themselves, that is, in other words, society is a complex system of systems, a kind of supersystem or, as they sometimes say, a metasystem.

Society as a complex dynamic system is characterized by the presence in its composition of various elements, both material (buildings, technical systems, institutions, organizations) and ideal (ideas, values, customs, traditions, mentality). For example, the economic subsystem includes organizations, banks, transport, produced goods and services, and, at the same time, economic knowledge, laws, values, and more.

Society as a dynamic system contains a special element, which is its main, backbone element. This is a person who has free will, the ability to set a goal and choose the means to achieve this goal, which makes social systems more mobile, dynamic than, say, natural ones.

The life of society is constantly in a state of flux. The pace, scale and quality of these changes may vary; there was a time in the history of human development when the established order of things did not change fundamentally for centuries, however, over time, the pace of change began to grow. Compared to natural systems in human society, qualitative and quantitative changes occur much faster, which indicates that society is constantly changing and in development.

Society, as, indeed, any system, is an ordered integrity. This means that the elements of the system are located within it in a certain position and are to some extent connected with other elements. Consequently, society as an integral dynamic system has a certain quality that characterizes it as a whole, having a property that none of its elements has. This property is sometimes called the non-additivity of the system.

Society as a dynamic system is characterized by another feature, which is that it belongs to the number of self-governing and self-organizing systems. This function belongs to the political subsystem, which gives consistency and harmonious correlation to all elements that form a social integral system.

In the definition of the concept of "society" in the scientific literature, there is a variety of approaches, which emphasizes the abstract nature of this category, and, defining it in each specific case, it is necessary to proceed from the context in which this concept is used.

1) Natural (the influence of geographical and climatic conditions on the development of society).

2) Social (the causes and starting points of social development are determined by society itself).

The totality of these factors predetermines social development.

There are various ways of development of society:

Evolutionary (gradual accumulation of changes and their naturally conditioned nature);

Revolutionary (characterized by relatively rapid changes subjectively directed on the basis of knowledge and action).

VARIETY OF WAYS AND FORMS OF PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT

Social progress created in the XVIII-XIX centuries. works of J. Condorcet, G. Hegel, K. Marx and other philosophers was understood as a natural movement along a single main path for all mankind. On the contrary, in the concept of local civilizations, progress is seen as going in different civilizations in different ways.

If you mentally take a look at the course of world history, then you will notice a lot in common in the development of different countries and peoples. Primitive society has everywhere been replaced by a society controlled by the state. Feudal fragmentation was replaced by centralized monarchies. Bourgeois revolutions took place in many countries. Colonial empires collapsed and dozens of independent states arose in their place. You yourself could continue listing similar events and processes that took place in different countries, on different continents. This similarity reveals the unity of the historical process, a certain identity of successive orders, the common destinies of various countries and peoples.

At the same time, the specific ways of development of individual countries and peoples are diverse. There are no peoples, countries, states with the same history. The diversity of specific historical processes is caused by the difference in natural conditions, the specifics of the economy, the uniqueness of spiritual culture, the peculiarities of the way of life, and many other factors. Does this mean that each country is predetermined by its own development option and it is the only possible one? Historical experience shows that under certain conditions it is possible various options solutions to urgent problems, it is possible to choose methods, forms, ways of further development, that is, a historical alternative. Alternative options are often offered by certain groups of society, various political forces.

Remember that when preparing Peasant reform held in Russia in 1861, various social forces proposed different forms of implementing changes in the life of the country. Some defended the revolutionary path, others - the reformist one. But among the latter there was no unity. Several reform options have been proposed.

And in 1917-1918. Russia faced a new alternative: either a democratic republic, one of the symbols of which was a popularly elected Constituent Assembly, or a republic of Soviets headed by the Bolsheviks.

In each case, a choice has been made. Such a choice is made by statesmen, ruling elites, the masses, depending on the balance of power and influence of each of the subjects of history.

Any country, any nation, at certain moments in history, faces a fateful choice, and its history is carried out in the process of implementing this choice.

The variety of ways and forms of social development is not limitless. It is included in the framework of certain trends in historical development.

Thus, for example, we have seen that the elimination of obsolete serfdom was possible both in the form of a revolution and in the form of reforms carried out by the state. And the urgent need to accelerate economic growth in different countries was carried out either by attracting new and new natural resources, i.e., in an extensive way, or by introducing new equipment and technology, improving the skills of workers, based on the growth of labor productivity, i.e., intensive way. In different countries or in the same country, different options for implementing the same type of changes can be used.

Thus, the historical process, in which general tendencies are manifested - the unity of diverse social development, creates the possibility of choice, on which depends the originality of the ways and forms of the further movement of a given country. This speaks of the historical responsibility of those who make this choice.

Material from Letopisi.Ru - “Time to return home”

II. Society in the broad sense of the word:

1. Any set of historically established forms of joint activity of people.

2. Separated from nature, but closely connected with it, part of the material world, which consists of individuals with will and consciousness, and includes ways of interacting people and forms of their unification.

Sphere of society- this is a certain area of ​​​​social life, including the most stable forms of human interaction.

4 spheres (subsystems) of society:

1. Economic - includes relations in the field of production, exchange, distribution of material goods, as well as property relations.

2. Social sphere - includes a variety of relationships between different groups of society, as well as activities to ensure social guarantees.

Elements of the social sphere: specific people occupying a particular position in society; communities of people, classes, estates, nations.

3. The political sphere is connected with the concept of power.

4. Spiritual sphere - includes relationships arising in the process of creation, development and transfer of spiritual values. (This includes literature, art, architecture, science, education, religion, philosophy)

SOCIETY AS A SYSTEM

System is a set of elements interacting with each other and forming a certain integrity.

Society as a system:

1. the presence of spheres and social institutions, various ways of human interaction;

2. the interaction of elements, the connection of all spheres of society;

3. changes its forms, develops, while maintaining its essence;

4. self-sufficiency (the ability of society to create and reproduce the necessary conditions for its own existence);

5. self-governance (society changes and develops as a result of internal causes and mechanisms)

Features of society as a dynamic system:

1. ability for self-development,

2. permanent changes,

3. the possibility of degradation of individual elements

SOCIETY AND NATURE.

What do society and nature have in common?

1. Change over time.

2. They have signs of consistency.

3. They obey the objective laws of development.

3. They have a complex structure.

How is society different from nature?

1. Is a creator of culture

2. Is part of the material world

3. It is a stage in the historical development of mankind.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

HOMEWORK

Task number 1

Do you agree with the statement of the philosopher Seneca? Argument your point of view using terms and concepts from the course of social science.

“Society is a set of stones that would collapse if one did not support the other” (Seneca).

Task number 2

Read the text below with a number of words missing. Choose from the proposed list of words that you want to insert in place of the gaps. The words in the list are given in the nominative case. Each word (phrase) can only be used once. Choose sequentially one word after another, mentally filling in each gap. Please note that there are more words in the list than you need to fill in the gaps.

“Characterizing a society as _______________ (1) involves the study of its internal structure. Its main elements are __________________ (2) public life and social institutions. Allocate economic, social, political and spiritual spheres. All of them are closely interconnected, as they support the necessary _________________ (3) of society. __________________ (4) in each of the areas solve important social problems. They ensure the production and distribution of various kinds of _________________ (5), as well as the management of the joint _______________ (6) people.

A) integrity

B) system

C) society

D) social benefits

E) production

G) culture

H) social institutions

I) activity

The table below shows the pass numbers. Write under each number the letter corresponding to the word you have chosen. Transfer the resulting sequence of letters to a social studies notebook.

SOCIETY

Society and nature

Culture and civilization

The most important institutions of society

society- this is a certain group of people

Can be defined society and how big

society and nature.

Society and nature

culture

1. “Exactly

the question arose about legal protection of nature .

Legal protection of nature

.

.

Public relations

play an important role in the functioning of society public relations. This concept refers to the diverse connections that arise between social groups, classes, nations, as well as within them in the process of economic, social, political, cultural life and activity.

Material social relations are formed in the sphere of production, in the course of practical activity. Material relations are divided into production, environmental and office relations.

spiritual relationship are formed as a result of the interaction of people in the process of creating and disseminating spiritual and cultural values. They are divided into moral, political, legal, artistic, philosophical and religious social relations.

A special type of social relations are interpersonal(i.e. relationships between separate individuals).

Evolution and revolution

There are two main ways of change - evolution and revolution. Evolution comes from the Latin word for "unfolding" -

they are slow, constant changes in a previous state. Revolution(from the Latin turn, change) is a change in all or most aspects of public life, affecting the foundations of the existing social order.

At first glance, revolution differs from evolution only in the rate of change. However, in philosophy there is a point of view about the relationship between these two phenomena: the growth of quantitative changes in development (evolution) eventually leads to a qualitative change (revolution).

In this regard, the concept of evolution is close to the evolutionary path in social development. reform. Reform- this is a transformation, reorganization, a change in any aspect of social life that does not destroy the foundations of the existing social structure.

Reforms in Marxism were opposed to political revolution, as an active political action of the masses, leading to the transfer of leadership of society into the hands of a new class. At the same time, revolutions were always recognized as a more radical and progressive way of transformation in Marxism, and reforms were viewed as half-hearted, painful for the masses, transformations, which in the majority were allegedly due to the potential threat of revolution. Revolutions are inevitable and natural in a society where timely reforms are not carried out.

However, political revolutions usually lead to great social upheaval and casualties. Some scientists generally denied the possibility of creative activity to revolutions. Thus, one of the historians of the 19th century compared the Great French Revolution with a hammer, which only broke the old clay molds, opening the already cast bell of the new social system to the world. That is, in his opinion, a new social system was born in the course of evolutionary transformations, and the revolution only swept away the barriers for it,

On the other hand, history knows reforms that led to fundamental changes in society. F. Engels, for example, called the "revolution from above" Bismarck's reforms in Germany. The reforms of the late 80s - early 90s can also be considered a “revolution from above”. XX century, which led to a change in the existing system in our country.

Modern Russian scientists have recognized the equivalence of reforms and revolutions. At the same time, revolutions were criticized as extremely inefficient, bloody, full of numerous costs and leading to dictatorship. Moreover, great reforms (i.e. revolutions from above) are recognized as the same social anomalies as great revolutions. Both of these ways of resolving social contradictions are opposed to the normal, healthy practice of "permanent reform in a self-regulating society."

Both reforms and revolutions treat an already neglected disease (the first - by therapeutic methods, the second - by surgical intervention. Therefore, constant innovation- as a one-time improvement associated with an increase in the adaptability of society to changing conditions. In this sense, innovation is like preventing the onset of a disease (i.e., a social contradiction). Innovation in this regard refers to the evolutionary path of development.

This point of view comes from opportunities for alternative social development. Neither the revolutionary nor the evolutionary path of development can be accepted as the only natural one.

Culture and civilization for a long time identified. However Culture and civilization

already in the 19th century, the scientific meaning of these concepts differed. And at the beginning of XX

century, the German philosopher O. Spengler in his work “The Decline of Europe”

and completely opposed them. Civilization appeared to him as the highest stage of culture, on which its final decline takes place. Culture is a civilization that has not reached its maturity and has not ensured its growth.

The differences between the concepts of "culture" and "civilization" were also emphasized by other thinkers. So, N. K. Roerich reduced the difference between culture and civilization to the opposition of the heart to the mind. He associated culture with the self-organization of the spirit, the world of spirituality, and civilization - with the civil, social structure of our life. Indeed, the word "culture" goes back to the Latin word meaning cultivation, cultivation, processing. However, the word upbringing, veneration, as well as cult (as worship and veneration of something) also goes back to the same root (cult-). The word "civilization" comes from the Latin civilis - civil, state, but the word "citizen, resident of the city" also goes back to the same root.

Culture is the core, the soul, and civilization is the shell, the body. P.K. Grechko believes that civilization fixes the level and result of the progressive development of society, and culture expresses the mechanism and process of mastering this level - the result. Civilization equips the earth, our life, makes it convenient, comfortable, pleasant. Culture is “responsible” for the constant dissatisfaction with what has been achieved, the search for something unattainable, worthy, first of all, of the soul, and not of the body. Culture is a process of humanization of social relations, human life, while civilization is their gradual but steady technologization.

Civilization cannot exist without culture, because the system of cultural values ​​is the feature that distinguishes one civilization from another. However, culture is a polysyllabic concept, it includes the culture of production, material relations and political culture and spiritual values. Depending on which sign we single out as the main criterion, the division of civilizations into separate types also changes.

Types of civilization

Depending on their concept and the criteria put forward, various researchers offer their own versions of the typology of civilization.

Types of civilizations

However, in the journalistic literature, the division into civilizations is widely established. Western (innovative, rationalistic) and Eastern (traditional) type. Sometimes so-called intermediate civilizations are added to them. What features characterize them? Let's take a look at the following table as an example.

Main features of traditional society and Western society

Modern Civilizations

Currently, there are different types of civilizations on Earth. In the remote corners of the planet, the development of a number of peoples still retained the features of a primitive society, where life is entirely subordinate to the natural cycle (Central Africa, Amazonia, Oceania, etc.). Some peoples in their way of life have retained the features of eastern (traditional) civilizations. The influence of post-industrial society on these countries is reflected in the growth of crisis phenomena and the instability of life.

Active promotion of the values ​​of the post-industrial society by the media, raising them to the rank of universal human values ​​causes a certain negative reaction from traditional civilizations, seeking not only to preserve their values, but also to revive the values ​​of the bygone past.

Thus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, etc. are referred to the Arab-Islamic civilization. Between individual Islamic countries and even within these countries, the struggle between supporters of rapprochement with Western civilization and Islamic fundamentalists is intensifying. If the former allow the expansion of secular education, the rationalization of life, the widespread introduction of modern achievements in science and technology, then the latter believe that the basis (foundation) of all spheres of life are the religious values ​​of Islam and take an aggressive position in relation to any innovations and borrowings from Western civilization.

India, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, etc. can be attributed to the Indo-Buddhist civilization. The traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism prevail here, and religious tolerance is characteristic. In these countries, on the one hand, economic and political structures characteristic of an industrial society have developed, on the other hand, a significant part of the population lives by the values ​​of a traditional society.

The Far East Confucian civilization includes China, Korea, Japan, etc. The cultural traditions of Taoism, Confucianism and Shintoism prevail here. Despite the traditions that have been preserved, these countries have been drawing closer in recent years to developed Western countries (especially in the economic sphere).

To what type of civilizational development can Russia be attributed? In science, there are several points of view on this matter:

Russia is a European country and Russian civilization is close to the Western type, although it has its own characteristics;

Russia is an original and self-sufficient civilization that occupies its own special place in the world. This is neither Eastern nor Western, but Eurasian civilization, which is characterized by superethnicity, intercultural exchange, supranational nature of spiritual values;

Russia is an internally split, "pendulum" civilization, which is characterized by a constant confrontation between western and eastern features. In its history, cycles of rapprochement with Western and Eastern civilizations are clearly marked;

To determine which point of view is more objective, let us turn to the characteristics of Western civilization. Researchers believe that within it there are several local civilizations (Western European, North American, Latin American, etc.). Modern Western civilization is a post-industrial civilization. Its features are determined by the consequences of the scientific and technological revolution (NTR), which took place in the 60-70s. XX century.

Global problems

The global problems of mankind are called problems that concern all people living on Earth, the solution of which depends not only on further social progress, but also on the fate of all mankind.

Global problems appeared in the conditions of the scientific and technological revolution in the second half of the twentieth century, they are interconnected, cover all aspects of people's lives and concern all countries of the world without exception.

We list the main problems and show their relationship with each other.

The threat of a thermonuclear catastrophe is closely interconnected with the threat of nuclear war, as well as man-made disasters. In turn, these problems are interconnected with the threat of a third world war. All this is connected with the depletion of traditional sources of raw materials and the search for alternative forms of energy. Failure to resolve this problem leads to an ecological catastrophe (depletion of natural resources, environmental pollution, food problem, lack of drinking water, etc.). The problem of climate change on the planet is acute, which can lead to catastrophic consequences. The ecological crisis, in turn, is connected with the demographic problem. The demographic problem is characterized by a deep contradiction: in developing countries there is an intensive population growth, and in developed countries there is a demographic decline, which creates enormous difficulties for economic and social development.

At the same time, the “North-South” problem is aggravating, i.e. contradictions are growing between developed countries and developing countries of the “third world”. The problems of protecting health and preventing the spread of AIDS and drug addiction are also becoming increasingly important. Importance has the problem of the revival of cultural and moral values.

After the events in New York on September 11, 2001, the problem of combating international terrorism sharply escalated. The next innocent victims of terrorists can be residents of any country in the world.

In general, the global problems of mankind can be schematically represented as a tangle of contradictions, where from each problem various threads stretch to all other problems. What is the a strategy for the survival of mankind in the face of exacerbation of global problems? The solution of global problems is possible only through the joint efforts of all countries coordinating their actions at the international level. Self-isolation and peculiarities of development will not allow individual countries to stay away from the economic crisis, nuclear war, the threat of terrorism or the AIDS epidemic. To solve global problems, overcome the danger that threatens all of humanity, it is necessary to further strengthen the interconnection of the diverse modern world, change interaction with the environment, abandon the cult of consumption, and develop new values.

In preparing this chapter, materials from the following tutorials were used:

1. Grechko P.K. Introduction to social science. – M.: Pomatur, 2000.
2. Kravchenko A. I. Social science. - M .: "Russian Word - RS" - 2001.
3. Kurbatov V.I. Social science. - Rostov-on-Don: "Phoenix", 1999.
4. Man and Society: Textbook on social science for students in grades 10-11 / Ed. L.N. Bogolyubova, A.Yu. Lazebnikova. M., 2001
5. Lazebnikova A.Yu. Modern school social science. Questions of theory and methodology. - M .: School - Press, 2000.
6. Klimenko A.V., Rumynina V.V. Exam in social studies: Notes of answers. – M.: 2000.
7. Social science. 100 examination answers./Ed. B.Yu. Serbinovsky. Rostov-on-Don.: "Mar.T", 2000.

SOCIETY

Society as a dynamic system

Society and nature

Culture and civilization

The relationship of economic, social, political and spiritual spheres of society

The most important institutions of society

Variety of ways and forms of social development

The problem of social progress

The integrity of the modern world, its contradictions

Global problems of mankind

The concept of "society" is ambiguous. In its original meaning, it is a kind of community, union, cooperation, association of individuals.

From a sociological point of view society- this is a certain group of people, united by common interests (goal) for joint activities (for example, a society for the protection of animals or, conversely, a society of hunters and fishermen).

The historical approach to understanding society is associated with the allocation a specific stage in the historical development of a people or of all mankind(for example: primitive society, medieval society, etc.).

The ethnographic meaning of the concept "society" focuses on ethnic characteristics and cultural traditions of a certain population of people(eg: Bushmen Society, American Indian Society, etc.).

Can be defined society and how big a stable group of people occupying a certain territory, having a common culture, experiencing a sense of unity and considering themselves as a completely independent entity(for example, Russian society, European society, etc.).

What unites the above interpretations of society?

• society consists of individuals with will and consciousness;
• You can't call a society just a certain number of people. People are united in society by joint activities, common interests and goals;
• any society is a way of organizing human life;
• The connecting link of society, its framework, are the connections established between people in the process of their interaction (public relations).

Society as a complex dynamic system

In general, a system is a collection of interconnected elements. For example, a pile of bricks cannot be called a system, but a house built from them is a system where each brick takes its place, is interconnected with other elements, has its own functional significance and serves a common goal - the existence of a durable, warm, beautiful building. But a building is an example of a static system. After all, a house cannot improve, develop by itself (it can only collapse if the functional connections between the elements - bricks) are broken.

An example of a dynamic self-developing system is a living organism. Already in the embryo of any living organism, the main features are laid down, which, under the influence of the environment, determine the essential aspects of changes in the organism throughout life.

Similarly, society is a complex dynamic system that can exist only by constantly changing, but at the same time retaining its main features and qualitative certainty.

There is also a broad, philosophical point of view on society.

Society is a form of organization of individuals that has arisen in opposition to the environment (nature), lives and develops according to its own objective laws. In this sense, society is a set of forms of unification of people, a “collective of collectives”, all of humanity in its past, present and future.

Based on this broad interpretation, let us consider the relationship society and nature.

Society and nature

Both society and nature are part of the real world. Nature is the basis on which society has arisen and develops. If nature is understood as the whole of reality, the world as a whole, then society is part of it. But often the word "nature" refers to the natural habitat of people. With this understanding of nature, society can be considered as a part of the real world that has become isolated from it, but society and nature have not lost their relationship. This relationship has always existed, but has changed over the centuries.

Once upon a time in primitive times, small societies of hunters and gatherers were completely dependent on the cataclysms of nature. Trying to protect themselves from these cataclysms, people created culture, as the totality of all the material and spiritual values ​​of society that have an artificial (i.e. not natural) origin. Below we will talk more than once about the diversity of the concept of “culture”. Now we emphasize that culture is something created by society, but opposite to the natural environment, nature. So, the manufacture of the first tools of labor, the skills of making fire are the first cultural achievements of mankind. The appearance of agriculture and cattle breeding is also the fruits of culture (the word culture itself comes from the Latin “tillage”, “cultivation”).

1. “Exactly because of the dangers that nature threatens us, we have united and created a culture designed, among other things, to make our social life possible. - wrote Z. Freud. “After all, the main task of culture, the true rationale, is to protect us from nature.”

2. With the development of cultural achievements, society was no longer so dependent on nature. Wherein society did not adapt to nature, but actively changed the environment, transforming it in its own interests. This change in nature has led to impressive results. Let us remember thousands of species of cultivated plants, new species of animals, drained swamps and flowering deserts. However, society transforming nature, exposing it to cultural influence, was often guided by momentary benefits. So, the first environmental problems began to arise in antiquity: many species of plants and animals completely disappeared, most of the forests in Western Europe were cut down in the Middle Ages. In the 20th century, the negative impact of society on nature became especially noticeable. Now we are talking about an ecological catastrophe, which can lead to the destruction of both nature and society. That's why the question arose about legal protection of nature .

The protection of the natural environment is understood as the preservation of its quality, which makes it possible, firstly, to preserve, protect and restore the healthy state and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem, and secondly, to preserve the biological diversity of the planet.

Environmental law deals with the legal protection of nature. Ecology (from the word “ekos” - home, residence; and “logos” knowledge) is the science of the interaction of man and society with the natural habitat.

The environmental legislation of the Russian Federation includes a number of provisions of the Constitution, 5 federal laws on environmental protection, 11 natural resource legislation, as well as decrees of the President of the Russian Federation, decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation, etc.

Legal protection of nature

So in the Constitution of the Russian Federation in Art. 42 speaks of the right of every person to a favorable environment, to reliable information about its condition. Article 58 speaks of the obligation of everyone to preserve nature and the environment, to take care of the natural resources of Russia.

The federal laws “On Environmental Protection” (1991), “On Ecological Expertise” (1995), “On Protection of Atmospheric Air” (1999), etc. are devoted to the legal protection of nature. Attempts are being made to conclude an international treaty on the protection of nature. On December 12, 1997, the International Protocol on the Control of Industrial Waste Emissions into the Atmosphere (Kyoto Protocol) was signed in Kyoto.

Thus, the relationship of nature, society and culture can be described as follows:

society and nature in interconnection form the material world. However, society separated itself from nature, creating culture as a second artificial nature, a new habitat. However, even having protected itself from nature by a kind of boundary of cultural traditions, society is not able to break ties with nature.

V. I. Vernadsky wrote that with the emergence and development of society the biosphere (the earthly shell covered by life) passes into the noosphere (the area of ​​the planet covered by intelligent human activity).

Nature still has an active impact on society. So, A. L. Chizhevsky established the relationship between the cycles of solar activity and social upheavals in society (wars, uprisings, revolutions, social transformations, etc.). L. N. Gumilyov wrote about the impact of nature on society in his work “Ethnogenesis and the Biosphere of the Earth”.

The relationship of society and nature we see in a variety of ways. So, improvement of agrotechnical methods of soil cultivation results in higher yields, but an increase in air pollution from industrial waste can lead to the death of plants.

Society is a complex dynamic system.

In accordance with the point of view widespread among sociologists, society is a complex dynamic system. What does this definition mean? What characterizes society as a dynamic system?

• study of the term "dynamic system";
• study of practical examples reflecting the legitimacy of the considered definition of society.

Let's study them in more detail.

What does the term "dynamic system" mean?

Dynamic, or dynamic system, is originally a mathematical term. In accordance with the widespread theory within the framework of this exact science, it is customary to understand it as a set of elements whose position in the phase space changes over time.

Translated into the language of sociology, this can mean that society as a dynamic system is a set of subjects (people, communities, institutions), whose status (type of activity) in the social environment changes over time. How valid is this statement?

In general, it fully reflects social reality. Each person acquires new statuses over time - in the course of education, socialization, by virtue of achieving legal personality, personal success in business, etc.

Communities and institutions also change, adapting to the social environment in which they develop. Thus, state power can be characterized by a greater or lesser level of political competition, depending on the specific conditions of the country's development.

The term in question contains the word "system". First of all, it assumes that the corresponding elements, characterized by dynamic features, play a stable role. So, a person in society has civil rights and obligations, and the state is responsible for solving problems "at the macro level" - such as protecting borders, managing the economy, developing and enforcing laws, etc.

There are other important features of the system. In particular, it is self-sufficiency, a kind of sovereignty. With regard to society, it is able to express itself in the presence of all institutions necessary for its functioning: law, state power, religion, family, production.

The system, as a rule, is characterized by such a property as self-control. If we talk about society, these can be mechanisms that ensure the effective regulation of certain social processes. Their development is carried out at the level of the noted institutions - in fact, this is their main role.

The next indicator of consistency is the interaction of some of its constituent elements with others. Thus, a person communicates with society, institutions, and individuals. If this does not happen, then the society is simply not formed.

It can be concluded that society as a dynamic system is characterized by the following main properties:

• there is a change in the status of its constituent elements over time;
• there is sovereignty, realized due to the presence of formed key social institutions;
• self-governance is realized, thanks to the activities of social institutions;
• there is a constant interaction of the elements that make up society.

Let us now consider how the dynamism of society can be traced through practical examples.

The dynamism of society: practical examples

Above, we noted that a person is able to change, mastering new knowledge and skills, or, for example, achieving success in business. Thus, we have identified one of the practical examples of dynamism in society. AT this case the corresponding property characterizes a person as an element of society. It becomes a dynamic subject. Similarly, we cited as an example the changes that characterize the activities of state power. The subjects of political management are also dynamic.

Societal institutions may also change. Among the most revealing areas, which are characterized by a very intense dynamism, is law. Laws are constantly being corrected, supplemented, repealed, returned. It would seem that such a conservative institution as the family should not change much - but this is also happening. Polygamy, which has existed for centuries in the East, may be strongly influenced by Western monogamous traditions and become an exception to the rule in those countries where it is traditionally perceived as part of the cultural code.

The sovereignty of society, as we noted above, is formed as key social institutions are formed. In addition, as soon as they appeared, dynamism begins to acquire a system.

A person gets the opportunity to change, acting independently of people belonging to other societies. The state can adjust the mechanisms for organizing political management without consulting, relatively speaking, with the metropolis and other entities that can potentially influence the adoption of certain decisions by the authorities. The country's legal system may begin to regulate certain social relations based on their local specifics, and not under the influence of foreign trends.

It's one thing to have sovereignty. Another thing is to use it effectively. State, legal, public institutions must function correctly - only in this way will sovereignty be real, not formal. And only under this condition, society as a dynamic system will acquire a fully systemic character.

The criteria for the quality of the work of the relevant elements of society can be very different.

So, with regard to the institution of law, it should be characterized by: relevance (laws should not lag behind current social processes), universal validity (equality of citizens before legislative provisions), transparency (people need to understand how certain norms are adopted, and, if possible, - participate in the legislative process).

The institution of the family should function in the interests of at least the majority of people who make up society, and ideally, all citizens. Moreover, if the dissimilarity of certain guidelines is assumed - for example, monogamy and polygamy, then other social institutions (law, state) should contribute to the peaceful coexistence of people who consider themselves adherents of the relevant principles.

And this shows the mutual influence of the elements that form society. Many of the subjects cannot play their role in society without interacting with others. Key public institutions are always interconnected. State and law are elements that constantly carry out communications.

Man also acts as a social subject. If only because he communicates with other people. Even if it seems to him that he does not do this, some derivatives of personal communications will be used. For example, living on an uninhabited island and reading a book, a person, perhaps without knowing it, "communicates" with its author, accepting his thoughts and ideas - literally or through artistic images.