In the 60-ies immense popularity in social philosophy and philosophy of history have acquired the theory of industrial society.They appeared in connection with the so-called systems approach to history.Proponents of this approach is historical, historical and philosophical problems of social theory and attempted to reach the historical process as a whole, understanding it as a complex process of development and organization of complex systems.Industrial Society and its post-industrial stage have become the most prominent concepts of this type.
emergence of these concepts has been caused by the realization that not enough just to criticize the Marxist theory of formations.After all, human psychology has always demanded a positive sense of history, "the dream of the next millennium," can replace the Marxist ideal.
French sociologist Raymond Aron, in his "Lectures on the industrial society" described the ideological differences between the socialist and capitalist camps as irrelevant.Both camps were in his view the same "single industrial society", only in different ways.This concept was developed by the American sociologist Walt Rostow.In 1960 he published his sensational "non-Communist Manifesto", namely, the work "Stages of Economic Growth."In this book, he proposed other than in Marxism, the principle of the structural division - not on the basis of socio-economic systems and stages of economic growth.Thus, the industrial society fit into the concept of the history of mankind.
growth stage associated with the level of development of industry, technology, science and the growth of the economy, according to Rostow, there are five:
1) traditional society, in which dominates the agrarian economic system, hierarchical social structure and value system unchanged;
2) transitional society, which begins with XVII- beginning of the XVIII century, when there began a private business;
3) during the "take-off", when industrialization begins (different countries have reached this period, at different times, by the end of XVIII century to the 50s of the twentieth century);
4) the period of "maturity" or the completion of industrialization;
5) the era of mass consumption, or wealth, which is considered a sociologist, reached in the United States.It must create a society which will dominate intellectual and family values.
Rostow believed that the engine of progress is the development of science and technology, and social upheaval and revolution - is the "growing pains" associated with a low level of development of society.Nevertheless, about Russia, he wrote that after the October Revolution the country has entered a stage of maturity, and gradually evolves to the level of industrial capitalist society, because sooner or later the industrial society will become a model for the development of any country.The fact that the logic of industrialization entails social characteristics having similar characteristics.
Rostow theory suggests some signs of industrial society.First of all, it is the presence of a large machine-building, determines the development of the entire economy.Then, there is a wide production of consumer goods such as televisions, automobiles, household appliances and so on.Another feature is the scientific and technological revolution, which leads to innovation in production and management, as well as a high level of urbanization and the presence of a broad stratum of managers of managers.This, in turn, changes the structure of society and the industrial society itself.
Signs of change:
- the class struggle (which is conducted in the framework of the election of trade union activity and collective bargaining),
- other forms of behavior and social interaction of people,
- rationalization of thinking in general.
concept of industrial society has influenced the emergence of social theories, the theory of convergence, deideologization, mass society and mass culture.
