The Evolution of Human Sociality
Stephen K. Sanderson
Language: English
Pages: 416
ISBN: 0847695352
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
This book attempts a broad theoretical synthesis within the field of sociology and its closely allied sister discipline of anthropology. It draws together what the author considers the best of these disciplinesO theoretical approaches into a synthesized theory called Darwinian conflict theory. This theory, in the most general sense, is a synthesis of the tradition of economic and ecological materialism and conflict theory stemming from Marx, Marvin Harris, and the tradition of biological materialism deriving from Darwin. The first half of the book is taken up with critiques of existing theoretical approaches; this then leads to the full elaboration, in formal propositional form, of synthetic theory. The second half of the book lays out the large amount of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, that supports the synthesized theory.
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And political factors enter into the process whereby scientists deliberate about theories scarcely compels the radical conclusion that these factors are the only ones relevant to the outcome. Indeed. as the philosopher and historian of science Larry Laudan has pointed out. the most fundamental interest that scientists have is a cognjtjv~ one: They have an overriding interest in producing good theories. Although data are frequently ambiguous. and although scientific controversies often develop.
Sweeping across the land in recent years. This position is a form of cultural relativism that asks us to "celebrate" (a favorite word of postmodernists) cultural differences. All cultures are seen as having equal value and should be recognized as such. Most postmodernists seem to find social and cultural oppression everywhere and advocate radical steps to eliminate it. There is the patriarchal oppression of women by men, the racist oppression of blacks by whites, the sexual oppression of gays and.
5. 6. quoted in the fourrh point in the preceding list. Here Weber speaks in an almost Darwinian way. Be that as it may. it must be pointed oUt that the contemporary Weberian Randall Collins explicitly disavows the need for any theory of human nature. In a shorr essay (R. Collins. 1983) he strongly repudiates sociobiology. even going as far as to claim (quite erroneously) that contemporary developments in biology underminc sociobiological principles. Moreover. he has said the following.
Began to see that it had value for them quite apan from whatever may have been originally intended. They began to see that educational credentials-a diploma or degree. or at least so many years of schooling-had value in the labor market. Status groups in the form of ethnic groups began to push for more education because of its economic value. but a major unintended consequence was the inflation of educational credentials: Once more individuals attained credentials. they declined in value. i.e.•.
Continued to fan the fire of credential inflation even more. I agree with the credential inflation part of Collins's argument. but the ethnic heterogeneity part of the argument is not supported by the evidence. Collins argues that ethnic heterogeneity contributed to massive educational expansion in the United States because ethnic groups. as status groups. were locked into economic competition. More generally. he has argued that the societies with the largest educational systems are usually the.