Biological factors of social change

Biological processes:
• determine numbers, composition
Social attitudes:
• control sex relations, marriage
Social behavior:
• induces biological changes
Population:
• more numerous, Less numerous
• more fertile, less fertile
Social arrangement:
• taboos on intermarriages
• restrictions on marriages
Biological changes:
• bring new changes on social class
Changing size of population:
• population always changing in numbers,
composition
Population changes occur:
• by migration, invasion, war
• de-population, over population
Births and Deaths:
Falling death rate:
• advance of science
• hygiene, sanitation
• preventive medicine
• when birth rates high- all miseries
• when both rates lower- balance
• balance of population-higher standard of living
Changes in composition:
• when birth rate falling- younger people decrease
Other variations:
• birth rate varies with occupation
• birth rate varies with social class
Population change and social change:
• increase of population-affects standard of living
• it leads to birth control
Natural selection:
• formulated by Darwin
• variations in reproduction
• less favorable eliminated
• the more favorable encouraged
• struggle for existence- various aspects
adaptation to nature, climate, seasonal changes
Criticism:
• society-system of cooperation
• hostile to natural selection
• fitness relative to environment
• survival by strength or cunning
• boldness or disguise
Natural selection and human society:
• conditions of survival- modified by society
• higher death rate of stone cutters
• preventive medicine, hygiene
• man follows his own road
• social heritage modifies natural selection
Social selection:
• social relations affect reproduction
• natural selection through death rate
• social selection through birth rate
• natural selection deals with adaptation
• social selection preventive, creative
• who are to be born, who are to survive
• who shall marry whom
• social standards for mating
• social conditions-who shall meet whom
• natural selection demands-adaptation to
environment
• social selection decides direction
• social selection- volitional
• two modes of social selection
• indirect-direct
Indirect social selection:
• occupational groups- differential mortality
• stone cutters-high mortality
• child mortality lessened by better nutrition,
hygiene medical science
• social conditions-determine success or failure
Direct social selection:
• society directly controls death rate
• by sanitation, hygiene, preventive medicine
• society controls mating relationship by regulating
marriage contract
• prescribing age limit for marriage
• proscribing bigamy
• birth control
Social selection through mores:
• mores set up standards
• mating, marriage conditions
• marriages within same profession
• scientists to marry scientists
• women graduates-low marriages rates
• college graduates-low birth rates
Occupation and fertility:
• higher child mortality-lower socio economic strata
• textile workers-low birth rate, high death rate
• agricultural workers-lower death rate
• working wives-lower fertility
• occupational groups with physical mobility-lower
fertility
• child marriages increasing-among higher classes
• declining fertility-due to changing mores
changing conditions
• social selection is always at work
• what it accomplishes-remains unknown