Download Dark Ages

Dark Ages
Dr. Green
Basic Assumptions
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Immanent causality
Limit
Form or pattern
Uniformitarian
– Same social processes at work now were at work in
the past
• Mutual causality
– One change may cause others, which may eventually
feed back to reinforce the original change
Social Organization
Type
Form
Basis
Social
Cooperative
Joy-sorrow
Economic
Contractual
Wealth
Coercive
Peace-Order
Ideational
ExpressionLegitimation
Fearconfidence
Political
Cultural
Angercontentment
Agreementdisgust
Social Unity
• Cohesion—The number and strength of
social relationships
• Organization—The number and strength
of economic relationships
• Integration—The number and strength of
political relationships
• Legitimation—The number and strength of
cultural relationships
Societies
• An ascendant society is one with high
levels of integration, organization and
cohesion (accepting that they cannot all be
equally strong).
– It will be ordered and peaceful (integration).
– It will be innovative and wealthy
(organization).
– Its citizens will be loyal
– Its institutions will be widely recognized as
legitimate.
Societies
– A declining society is one where integration,
organization, cohesion, and legitimation are
disappearing or have disappeared.
Degrees of Disintegration
• Cycles of different degree are ending
– Recessions—within one of the phases of a
longer-term trend
– Depressions—between the different phases of
a longer-term trend
– End of an Era—end of one complete cycle
– Dark Ages—when all the phases have been
played out
Dark Ages
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There is an absolute reduction of
integration, organization and cohesion,
not merely a decline relative to
surrounding societies.
The retrenchment is large enough to last
several decades.
Integration, organization and cohesion
are all affected simultaneously.
Causes of Decline
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Social
Economic
Political
Cultural
Environmental
Jared Diamond
• Causes of collapse
– Environmental damage
– Climate change
– Hostile neighbors
– Interdependence
– Social response
Environmental Damage
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Deforestation
Soil exhaustion
Water scarcity
Over-exploiting resources
Environmental impact
Introduction of new species
Over-population
Environmental toxicity through pollution
Induced climate change
Energy shortage
Future Problems
• Natural resource problems
– Habitat exhaustion
– Food
– Ecological diversity
– Soil exhaustion
• Pollution
– Chemical
– Alien species
– gases
Future Problems
• Ceilings
– Energy
– Water
– Photosynthetic capacity
• Population
– Size
– Impact