Overview
- Provides a novel approach to characterizing social evolution
- Expands the relationship between economics and social theory
- Posits that the current global situation is a critical fork in the evolution of society
Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Sociology (BRIEFSSOCY)
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
About this book
This book extends a previously published model of social evolution by using macroeconomic measures to indicate both the current state of the society, and its evolutionary trajectory. This model considers society as a system of interacting elements evolving through stages of increasing strength of interaction and complexity of structure. It measures society in constituting the world collectively, with nation-states as the elements, here described through macroeconomic measures such as GDP, government expenditure, and inequality. The economic data presented indicates that this stage is approaching the next evolutionary step, which is either the formation of a world society of nations, with an associated overarching common infrastructure absorbing some of the sovereign functions of nation-states as they exist today, or as a society of competing groups of nations, each bound by alliances and bilateral agreements. The book explores how the former faces great obstacles in the form of nationalism and a misunderstood concept of sovereignty, and poses that it is in an embryonic stage. The author poses that it is this structure that would be best equipped to handle common challenges, such as the environment and global warming, and topically, pandemics. A novel interdisciplinary text in social complexity, this book is of interest to researchers in socio-economic fields.
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
Table of contents (4 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Erik Aslaksen experience covers engineering, physics, economics, and sociology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales and of the International Council on Systems Engineering, a Charter Member of Omega Alpha, the author of seven books, four book chapters, and more than eighty papers. Recent books include The Stability of Society (Springer 2020) and The Social Bond (Springer 2018) He has worked in the US, Switzerland and Australia, where he is currently based.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Measures of Social Evolution
Book Subtitle: Macroeconomic Indicators of Social Stability
Authors: Erik W. Aslaksen
Series Title: SpringerBriefs in Sociology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1800-0
Publisher: Springer Singapore
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-981-16-1799-7Published: 30 April 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-981-16-1800-0Published: 30 April 2021
Series ISSN: 2212-6368
Series E-ISSN: 2212-6376
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: X, 83
Number of Illustrations: 23 b/w illustrations, 15 illustrations in colour
Topics: Social Theory, Social Structure, Social Inequality, Economic Policy, Demography, Governance and Government