It has given us benefits too numerous to count, but it also has made human existence very precarious.Sociological perspectives on social change fall into the functionalist and conflict approaches.

Various theories have been advanced to explain the direction of social change. When we speak of social evolution we refer to the emergence of certain institution. This is a synthesis of ideational and the sensate. In a small college, classes might average no more than 20 students; these students get to know each other well and often have a lot of interaction with the professor. (i) the direction of social change and (ii) the causes of social change. According to Green, ‘The enthusiastic response of change has become almost a way of life.” It is difficult to make any prediction about the exact forms of social change. The theory of religious determinism has been criticised by Sorokin in his Contemporary Sociological Theories. But at any rate, Sorokin’s variable occurrence is an admission that the present state of sociological knowledge does not warrant the construction of theories regarding the long-run trend or character of social change. They have produced scientific discoveries that have saved lives, extended life spans, and made human existence much easier than imaginable in the distant past and even in the recent past. But since history repeats itself, society after passing through all the stages, returns to the original stage, whence the cycle again begins.

The germ theory of medicine has replaced older views of the cause of disease. In this sense, social change is unplanned even though it happens anyway.

Before 1947 there was less industrialization in India, after 1947 India has become more industrialized. None stand out as isolated forces that bring about change of themselves. Nadel writes: “We need the concept of evolution as it were, to satisfy our philosophical conscience; but the ‘law’ of evolution is of too huge a scale to help us in understanding the behaviour of Toms, Dicks and Harrys among societies and culture, which after all is our main concern.
Several dimensions and effects of modernization seem apparent (Nolan & Lenski, 2009).First, as societies evolve, they become much larger and more As societies become more modern, they begin to differ from nonmodern societies in several ways. Hobhouse writes. Chapter 22: Conclusion: Understanding and Changing the Social WorldA related problem with the terms and concepts of modern and modernization is that many people think of Western nations when considering the most modern nations in the world today. Choose your answers to the questions and click 'Next' to see the next set of questions. Looking to the cyclic changes of days and nights and of climates some sociologists like Spengler believe that society has a predetermined life cycle and has birth, growth, maturity, and decline. All these motives cut across the pure economic motive in ways that are practically important.” The deterministic interpretation of social change is too simple. It means more than growth. Thus social change will mean variations of any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interactions or social organisation. Conflict theorists, however, recognize that social change often stems from efforts by social movements to bring about fundamental changes in the social, economic, and political systems.

We have invented aeroplanes and other fast-moving mobiles, but does it bring more security of life?

The word ‘growth’ connotes a direction of change but only of a quantitative character, e.g., we say population grows.
While social change occurs in all societies, its speed is not uniform in every society. That society has progressed, all would not agree because we cannot speak of progress” without reference to standards, and standards, as we know, are eminently subjective. In that society the prevailing principle will be “from each according to his capacities, to each according to his needs.” Marx’s theory of determinism contains a great element of truth but it cannot be said to contain the whole truth. He advanced gradually from belief in fetishes and deities to monotheism. “Social change may be defined as modification in ways of doing and thinking of people.” (viii) Koenig, S. “Social change refers to the modifications which occur in the life patterns of a people.” (ix) Lundberg and others. Development and social change a global perspective Mc Michael - Chapter 1 summary.