Religious belief and social control, with special reference to patterns of stability and change in classical Athens and ancient Egypt
The social sciences are vitiated by the perennial problem of social order. Questions concerning the nature and possible determinants of social formations are often intriguing and necessarily conjectural, but the problem of how such structures are then kept in being constitutes one of the fundamental issues of sociology. Social order connotes social stability, and this is necessarily difficult to study in the modern world of dissolving and crystallizing social patterns. This thesis, therefore, sets out to examine the problem of order in the context of complex pre-industrial society which, whilst not completely., static, exhibits more clearly and comprehensively the persistent features of institutional life. The discussion rests upon a typification of Static and Dynamic societies. The Static society is characterised by retrospective orientations and eunomic (good order) stability, and the Dynamic society by qualified prospective orientations and anomic innovation. It hypotheses that these factors, in turn, can be related to the nature, form and implementation of the belief-systems concerned. The term 'pre-industrial society' is not a vague classification which can be stamped on an undifferentiated past. Certainly
Carlton, Eric James
Philosophy
Religious belief and social control, with special reference to patterns of stability and change in classical Athens and ancient Egypt. The social sciences are vitiated by the perennial problem of social order. Questions concerning the nature and possible determinants of social formations are often intriguing and necessarily conjectural, but the problem of how such structures are then kept in being constitutes one of the fundamental issues of sociology. Social order connotes social stability, and this is necessarily difficult to study in the modern world of dissolving and crystallizing social patterns. This thesis, therefore, sets out to examine the problem of order in the context of complex pre-industrial society which, whilst not completely., static, exhibits more clearly and comprehensively the persistent features of institutional life. The discussion rests upon a typification of Static and Dynamic societies. The Static society is characterised by retrospective orientations and eunomic (good order) stability, and the Dynamic society by qualified prospective orientations and anomic innovation. It hypotheses that these factors, in turn, can be related to the nature, form and implementation of the belief-systems concerned. The term 'pre-industrial society' is not a vague classification which can be stamped on an undifferentiated past. Certainly
religious_belief social_control special_reference pattern stability change classical_athens ancient_egypt social_sciences perennial problem social_order questions concern_nature possible determinant social_formation often intrigue necessarily problem structure keep constitutes one_fundamental issue sociology social_order social_stability necessarily difficult study modern_world dissolve social pattern therefore set_examine problem order context complex pre_industrial society whilst completely static exhibit clearly comprehensively persistent feature institutional life discussion rest_upon static dynamic society static society characterise retrospective orientation good order stability dynamic society qualify prospective orientation innovation hypothesis factor turn related nature form implementation belief systems concern term pre_industrial society vague classification stamp undifferentiated past certainly