Discuss the explanations for how culture develops and how it influences our lives from the theory of social evolution and structural functionalism; modernization theory; and the conflict perspective

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement

Answer 1

1. Early social theories relied on explanations of human society as analogous to
biological evolution. Those theories view all societies as following a single path of
development from simple to complex (unilineal). Modern sociologists reject this view
because it has logical and empirical flaws and is ethnocentric. Social evolution theory
has been linked to structural functionalism. Talcott Parsons’s concept of
differentiation is used as an example.
2. Modernization theory claims that traditional societies eventually take on the
characteristics of industrial societies. This theory relies on several assumptions. First,
that the benefits of industrialization outweigh its disadvantages. Second, that the
history of traditional societies will be like the history of the United States and other
industrialized nations.
3. The conflict perspective emphasizes the connection between power and culture.
Antonio Gramsci’s idea of cultural hegemony is especially important because it
claims that the ruling class is able to make its value system the taken-for-granted
value system of a society. In this manner, the dominant class is able to protect its
interests.