Abstract
This article compares and contrasts the theories of three major writers on societal change: Chirot discusses that the economic power struggles within and among core, peripheral, and semiperipheral societies, Toffler exposes a future in which major power shifts could have cataclysmic results, and Bruner emphasizes the importance of education to temper technological progress with wisdom and ethical behavior.
The article addresses the theories of three important writers on the topic of social and cultural change; they are Daniel Chirot, Jerome Bruner, and Alvin Toffler. I chose these writers for the purpose of examining their differing perspectives. Their concepts and assumptions will be examined and differences and similarities in their views will be contrasted and compared. An attempt will be made to integrate the theories and derive some guidance for students of the social sciences, who should be able to use this knowledge to increase their understanding of the problems that our society faces today. A key concept that writers on the topic of social change bring to light is that change is inevitable in any society.
According to Chirot, the primary aspect of social organization is internal stratification, that is, who in society has what form of power and to what ends or means are those powers used. He uses the term "core society" to refer to a group of societies that hold power and wealth and dominate the weaker societies. A peripheral society is an underprivileged society, usually rich in raw materials but lacking the technology to develop them. Then, there are the semiperipheral societies, between the core and the periphery, trying to become core societies themselves. Another concept to be addressed in the first component is culture change. Bruner states that culture is always in a process of change, and when society changes drastically, its culture is affected; sometimes, culture change will effect social change. A futurist concept of social change is exposed by Toffler, whose perspective provides insight into what a power shift would entail, if transformation of a dominant power source to take place. Other theorists where studied, their positions considered, and reference made to their thoughts on social and culture change. Lastly, a comparative examination of the different concepts of these theories was undertaken, as befits the broader analysis of this paper.