The Idea of "Advancement" in Theories of Social Evolution and Development

1979
Author(s)
Publisher
American Journal of Sociology

Implicit in most theories of social evolution, modernization, or development is the idea that systematic rank ordering of societies, on some dimension of problem-solving capacity, is feasible. This paper argues that, is our present of foreseeable state of knowledge, such rank orderings are not empirically meaningful. When the comparison is based on efficiency (the ability to solve current problems) the insuperable difficulty is similar to that encountered in what economists call "interpersonal comparison of utility." When the criterion is flexibility in dealing with possible future problems, uncertainty of prediction in system environments is a crucial obstacle which, even in principle, cannot be overcome. Evidence is cited from nonlinear models in mathematical ecology to support this argument. It is claimed that this critique is related to but independent of previous arguments against developmental theories.