Evolution

Meaning of ‘Evolution’

• The term evolution originates from the Latin word ‘evoluere’, meaning “to develop” or “to unfold.”
• The concept of evolution closely corresponds to the Sanskrit word ‘Vikas’.
• Evolution literally means gradually “unfolding” or “unrolling”.
• It signifies changes that come from within, not from without.
• Evolution is spontaneous, but not automatic; it must occur on its own accord.
• It implies continuous change, especially in the internal growth of an organism.
• The concept of evolution applies more precisely to the internal growth of a structure.

Meaning of Social Evolution

• The term ‘evolution’ is borrowed from biological science to sociology.
• ‘Organic evolution’ in biology is replaced by ‘social evolution’ in sociology.
• ‘Organic evolution’ refers to the evolution of organisms, while ‘social evolution’ refers to the evolution of human society.
• Social evolution implies the evolution of man’s social relations.
• The theory of social evolution was hoped to explain the origin and development of man.
• Anthropologists and sociologists sought a satisfactory and significant explanation of how society evolved.
• They aimed for an explanation rather than a mere description.
• They were influenced by the concept of organic evolution, which explains how one species evolves into another, and wanted to apply it to the social world.
• Social evolution is a popular concept in sociological discussions.

The Concept of Social Evolution

• The explanation of social evolution revolves around two questions:

  1. How does society evolve?
  2. How did our civilisation come to be what it is today?
• The common assumption is that society evolves because of man, who makes society evolve.
• Men who had not evolved far would have a crude culture, while more evolved men would have an advanced society.
• Society is understood in terms of social behavior, which is a function of biological structure.
• Men with superior and more evolved biological structures could give rise to a more complex society.
• A key question is, what is evolving in the social world?
• The answer is usually ‘society’, but something other than the biological element is undergoing change.
• For anthropologists like R.H. Lowie and A. Kroeber, the evolving element is culture.
• Social evolution then becomes cultural evolution, with the evolution of groups being part of the evolution of culture.
• The factors that have caused the great evolution of culture from crude beginnings to its magnificence are:

1. 1. Accumulation
   2. Invention
   3. Diffusion
   4. Adjustment

Use of This Concept to Understand Social Change

The concept of social evolution is useful in explaining the changes and growth of society for the following reasons:

1. Internal growth: Evolution helps us understand the nature of a system by showing how it “unfolds” itself. It explains not just what happens to a thing, but what happens within it. It reveals what is latent becoming manifest and what is potential becoming actual in society’s structure, including social roles, positions, and relations.

2. Time succession: The evolutionary principle allows us to arrange a multitude of facts in significant orderaccording to time succession, giving coherence to successive stages. For example, it helps explain how the functions of the modern family have become more limited to those rooted in sex over time.

3. Classification of societies: The evolutionary principle provides a simple way to classify and characterize diverse social systems. Societies can be classified based on their degree and mode of differentiation, revealed by customs, creeds, techniques, devices, thoughts, etc.

4. Direction of change: The evolutionary clue helps us understand the direction of change, which is always the result of persistent forces at work. By identifying these forces, we can ascertain the direction of social change.

Social Evolution Vs Organic Evolution

• Social evolution is inspired by organic evolution introduced by Charles Darwin, but the two are not the same.
• Organic evolution involves differentiation in bodily structure, often through the development of new organs for different purposes, accompanied by the knowledge to use them.
• Man, at the center of social evolution, does not need to develop new organs to adapt to changed life conditions because he has the ability to invent tools, create instruments, and devise techniques to control natural forces.
• In organic evolution, only the descending generation is affected by structural changes, but in social evolution, both old and new generations are impacted. For example, the invention of new techniques influences both present and future generations.
• The transmission of changes differs: in organic evolution, qualities are passed down through biological heredity(genes), while in social evolution, changes occur through ideas, discoveries, inventions, and experience, often initiated by the mental abilities or genius of man.
• Organic evolution is continuous, driven by the internal pressures of the organization, environment, and natural forces, whereas social evolution can experience breaks and is not always continuous. It is subject to disruption.

Application of the Concept of Social Evolution in Sociological Studies

• The concept of social evolution suggests that all societies pass through certain definite stages, transitioning from simple to complex forms.
• The analogy between the growth of an organism and the growth of human society has been used to explain social evolution.
• Saint Simon agreed that all mankind must pass through an evolutionary sequence and distinguished three stages of mental activity: the conjectural, the non-conjectural, and the positive.
• Auguste Comte synthesized previous theories and proposed that all societies pass through three stages: the theological, metaphysical, and positive/scientific.
• Comte viewed society as a social organism with a harmony of structure and function.
• Herbert Spencer developed many of Comte’s ideas in his Principles of Sociology, although he did not acknowledge Comte. Spencer believed in the change from simple to complex forms, homogeneous to heterogeneous, and the integration of the whole and differentiation of parts in society.
• Sir Henry Maine in Ancient Law (1861) argued that societies evolve from relationships based on status to those based on contract.
• L.H. Morgan in Ancient Society (1878) proposed a sequence of family forms evolving from promiscuity to monogamy.
• E.B. Tylor in Primitive Culture (1871) linked observations of various societies to an evolutionary framework, particularly focusing on the sequential development of religious forms.
• Tylor’s work influenced scholars like Sir James Frazer and Emile Durkheim.
• The evolutionary doctrine provided a broad framework to conceptualize human society’s progress but was rejected in the early 20th century.
• The rejection of evolutionary doctrine led to the development of the structural system of analysis, especially in social anthropology.
• Structural-functionalists in sociology later revived the idea of social evolution, making it more scientific and less imaginary.