Social Evolution, Sociology of

Abstract

This entry has both a historical and theoretical basis. Three important theories have been identified in the history of social sciences, that interpret social evolution as: a) an inevitable progress Saint-Simon, Comte, Marx); b) a spontaneous order (The Scottish Moralists of the eighteenth century, Spencer, The Austrian Economic School); c) as evolution of social systems that are not a result of actions of the single individual (Durkheim, Parsons). The epistemological and social characteristics of these concepts were then examined by using the dual measure of individualism/collectivism to emphasize the significant differences between them. Particular attention has been paid to the implications of the different views supporting these two fundamental issues of social evolution: the relationship between historical progress and human progress, and the one existing between adaptation and innovation. Finally, a comparison between social evolution and evolutionary epistemology has been proposed to underline the epistemological basis of theories which, referring to a biological model, interpret social evolution as a spontaneous process aimed at the solution of problems.