ABSTRACT
The perspectives of this chapter, however, will be concerned rather with social change, that is, with the nature, direction, and extent of change in the social system as a whole. This chapter looks at problems of deviance, conflict, and change from such perspectives. The study of social change has been primarily pre-occupied with change at the macro level—that is with broad trends in the evolution and development of social systems. Among the most influential theories of social change is that which focuses on technology as the independent variable and claims that all other changes are functions of changes in the technological sphere. Marx’s neglect of the role of cultural variables in social change stimulated Weber to undertake an elaborate inquiry into the role of culture in which Weber concluded that certain religious forms, notably Protestantism in the West have provided the necessary values and motivations for economic development.
