Sociocultural Evolution: Calculation and ContingencyISBN: 978-1-55786-977-7
Paperback
324 pages
April 1998, Wiley-Blackwell
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Sociocultural evolution is the most important concept that has
guided social science thought over the past 300 years. Throughout
this time it has, however, been fiercely contested and has changed
as it has slowly discarded the providential concerns that
originally characterized it. This book traces the gradual
development of the concept of sociocultural evolution and relates
how it is currently understood, and misunderstood, to the major
political and cultural debates of the present day.
The author examines, in particular, issues relating to neo-conservative socioeconomic policy and postmodernism, which he regards as the chief cultural expression of transnational capitalism. He argues that continued sociocultural development requires a greater degree of planning than ever before in human history and far more general participation in the planning process than has been possible or attempted in the past. Sociocultural Evolution will be welcomed by students of anthropology, history, and archaeology, as well as general readers interested in the concerns surrounding further technological development and social change.