America, the West and Changing Patterns of the New World Order
- Written by: Mohammad Momin Khawaja
Technological Changes and Human Social Order
Rapid social change results in a breakdown of common values and functional regulation in various domains of society. A consequence of this is manifest in mental illnesses, disorders,and even in aggravating forms of deviance such as suicide.(1) Social scientists recognize that the dissolution of one social order provides a basis for the growth of a new one. Meaning and insight found in the social disorganization theory represents that the social dynamics and elements of stable small-town life are negative and pathological in comparison and contrast to those elements and dynamics germane to social disorganization. (2) These elements of change in the social order include urbanization, migration, immigration, industrialization, and technological change. As such, disorganization really means that the social ecological lifecycle of one order goes extinct, while the foundation for another social order is established.(3) In retrospect, this change and development is that of a distinct human social order and ecological lifecycle. In America, the West, and in many parts of the world, this distinct human social order and ecological lifecycle is the new world order.
Human ecology is a study about various forms of human relations in society wherein there is competition for space and resources between individuals in the domains of class,ethnicity, culture, and other dynamics.(4) From human ecology, scientists are able to find structure in concepts which give definition to a social ecology of humans in relation to various human dynamics. Social conditions are the predominant source of influence over the behaviors of people. Beyond the social forces which shape and give context to prevalent social conditions in our lives, social institutions and forms of government are meant to provide a higher or better social moral code and public order. In retrospect of the new world order, America, and the West, the Industrial Revolution brought about social change by way of technology, socioeconomic conditions, and culture.(5) In modern history, this change was the process of transformation in society from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing. In England, this process began in the |] 8th century and from there spread to other parts of the world.(6)
Industrial Revolution and Socio-Economic Order
A study of the Industrial Revolution reveals that major components of this change in society were technological, socioeconomic, and cultural. Technological change included the use of new raw materials such as iron and steel, the use of energy sources such as fuels and motive power, coal, the steam engine, electricity, petroleum, and the combustion engine.(7) Production increased with the invention of new machines such as the power jenny and the spinning loom, while human energy expenditures decreased. The factory work system better organized work and the increased the capacity and division of labor and specialized functions in work environments. Along with these developments in technology and machinery, important engineering developments also came about in transportation and communication.(8) The most prominent of these technologies and social developments included the steam locomotive, the steamship, the automobile, the airplane, the telegraph, and the radio.(9)
The significance in these developments lies in that technology is a systematic and rational way of doing things. Technology is also the organization of knowledge, people, and resources needed in order to accomplish specific practical goals.(10) Therefore, a technological invention such as an automobile, a computer, or even a microscope is not something that is simply added on to a society. Rather, these inventions transform society.(11) During this period of time, the application of science to industry greatly increased. Technological changes made possible a qualitative and quantitative increase in the use of natural resources and the mass production of manufactured goods.
Developments which were non-industrial and not directly technological yet important in socioeconomics and social change also took place in this era of revolution. Improvements in agricultural methodology and machinery made possible the provision of food for larger and non-agrarian populations.(12) Rising industrial production and increased international trade led to a decline in land being a source of wealth. This also led to a wider distribution of wealth among demographics in society. There were also political changes which reflected a shift in economic power.(13) State policies were designed to meet the needs of an increasingly industrialized and technologically advancing society. These developments came with sweeping social changes which included the growth of larger urban cities, the emergence of working—class social movements, new representations of social authority, and cultural transformations within the existing social orders in society.(14) There was another notable change which also took place which was not industrial, mechanical, or even technological. Humans now had a new and elevated confidence in the ability to use resources in order master elements of the environment and nature. This change was a psychological change and one of which gave context and belonging in the new world order.
From Technological Progress to Competitive Class Cultures
The Industrial Revolution had brought about new classes of people in society including the working middle class, and the unemployed, poor, criminal, and sometimes dangerous class.This precarious class of people lived in unsanitary and overcrowded conditions. The overcrowded slums of major cities contended with unhealthy physical conditions, along with social conditions which promoted immorality and deviance.(15) These demographics consisted of urban masses ignorant, undisciplined, and irreligious. The danger in this was that were this class of people influenced by radical socio-economic and religious ideas, they could become a danger to their society.(16) In small-town rural communities, primary relations provided a big brother mechanism of social control which served to deter bad behaviors and deviance. However, urban cities provided many opportunities for divergent ways and subcultures which promoted contexts and belonging alien to small-town life.(17)
Culture is defined in being behaviour peculiar to humans, together with the material objects used as an integral part of this behaviour. Culture includes languages, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, and rituals and ceremonies among other elements.(18) It is in fact the development of culture which brought about advanced societies that consequentially resulted in the triumph of knowledge and reason over ignorance, science over superstition, and that of law and order over chaos.(19) As such. the Industrial Revolution with advancements in science, technology, and methodology, along with new socioeconomic wellbeing and a dynamic culture brought about the new world order.
Despite that people in societies understand and accept that there is existential and progress—based competition for space and resources, this competition continues among individuals in the domains of class, ethnicity, culture, and other urban dynamics everywhere. Understanding our place and belonging in the new world order is about knowing human ecology. This context and belonging is much about how diverse people of needs from various cultures and ideas are able to live in harmony, cohesion, and value—based coexistence.
References:
1. Deutschmann, L.; “Deviance and Social Control”, 3" edition, Nelson Thomson Learning, 2002, pp.200-224.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5."Industrial Revolution." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite, Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013.
6. Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8.Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Khawaja, M., “Society, Al Technologies, and The Technological Imperative”, Counter Currents, January, 2024,https: //countercurrents.org/2024/0 1 /north-american-society—ai—and-the—technological—imperatives
11. Ibid.
12. "Industrial Revolution." Encyclopedia Britannica.
13. Ibid,
14. Ibid.
15. Khawaja, M., “Towards Understanding Human Ecology and Urban Dynamics”, The Times, May, 2024.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. Khawaja, M., “On Culture, Subcultures, and Belonging”, The Times, August, 2023,
https ://thetimes ,com.au/world/24545—north—american—longing-to—cultures—and—sub-cultures
19. Ibid.
Mohammad Momin Khawaja is a Sociologist and a Journalist: Member of the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) and Member of the International Center for Journalism – ICFJ Global Network, Washington, D.C. USA. A graduate of Laurentian University in Sociology, he writes on current issues of cultural studies, social justice, criminology, philosophy,history and problems of indigenous social welfare system and human development. He is author of numerous publications including, Women in the Ancient World (Lambert Academic Publication, 2023), Philosophy and Ethics; and A World Community: Diversity in Cultures and Values (2024). He recently published: “North American Colonization of Indigenous People, Cultures and System of Social Welfare.”
