A Comparison of Traditional and Modern Society
Traditional vs. Modern Society
SOSC 1000: Introduction to Social Science
Niharika Sethi
Student number: 212273066
TUTORIAL #1: Manuel Larrabure
Traditional vs. Modern Society
In order for society to progress it must change constantly, and as a population we must adjust to new customs and ever changing expectations. Since the foundation of society is its people, it is important to analyze the patterns and behaviors of certain groups, in order to identify the type of society that they live in. This is a codependent relationship, which means the actions of people, directly impacts the growth of society. Over the past few decades we have seen a major paradigm shift in how society functions. We have witnessed changes such as industrialization, the introduction of capitalism, the green revolution etc. that has caused key distinctions between traditional and modern society. In this essay, I will compare and contrast those differences and how they have shaped society. The most noticeable changes have occurred in the legal system, gender roles, and the core values of a nuclear family.
The legal system is perhaps the most important integration into modern society as it establishes law and order. It provides suitable and reasonable punishment for crimes, keeping society safe and under control. In traditional society, punishments were given out based on morals and religious connotations. The laws were not coded or written they were simply known and passed on verbally. Rules and Regulations did not matter as much as prestige and dignity, an example of this is child labor. In traditional society, child labor was considered a norm and there were no laws against it. In fact, it was encouraged and it did not matter what the working conditions were. Thompson speaks about this in his article, entitled “Childhood” by retelling the experiences of others, one of the examples being: “The most prevalent form of child labor was in the home or within the family economy. Children who
SOSC 1000: Introduction to Social Science
Niharika Sethi
Student number: 212273066
TUTORIAL #1: Manuel Larrabure
Traditional vs. Modern Society
In order for society to progress it must change constantly, and as a population we must adjust to new customs and ever changing expectations. Since the foundation of society is its people, it is important to analyze the patterns and behaviors of certain groups, in order to identify the type of society that they live in. This is a codependent relationship, which means the actions of people, directly impacts the growth of society. Over the past few decades we have seen a major paradigm shift in how society functions. We have witnessed changes such as industrialization, the introduction of capitalism, the green revolution etc. that has caused key distinctions between traditional and modern society. In this essay, I will compare and contrast those differences and how they have shaped society. The most noticeable changes have occurred in the legal system, gender roles, and the core values of a nuclear family.
The legal system is perhaps the most important integration into modern society as it establishes law and order. It provides suitable and reasonable punishment for crimes, keeping society safe and under control. In traditional society, punishments were given out based on morals and religious connotations. The laws were not coded or written they were simply known and passed on verbally. Rules and Regulations did not matter as much as prestige and dignity, an example of this is child labor. In traditional society, child labor was considered a norm and there were no laws against it. In fact, it was encouraged and it did not matter what the working conditions were. Thompson speaks about this in his article, entitled “Childhood” by retelling the experiences of others, one of the examples being: “The most prevalent form of child labor was in the home or within the family economy. Children who
Cited: Campbell, J. (1999). Excerpts from Honor Family and patronage: A study of Institutions and Moral Values in a Greek Mountain Community (New ed., pp. 105-117). Oxford University Press. Thompson, E. (1991). Childhood. In The Making Of The English Working Class (p. 121). Penguin. Bell, D. (1996). Excerpts From The Cultural Concepts Of Capitalism. In The cultural contradictions of capitalism (p. 155). New York: Basic Books. Shils, E. (1982). The Theory of Mass Society. In The Constitution of Society (pp. 161-167). University of Chicago Press.