Analyzing Social Change Through Functionalism, Conflict...

Albert Einstein said it best, â€Å"The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them† - Albert Einstein(58 Quotes). Social change is an opportunity for positive growth in today’s world, however it may sometimes take a tragedy to get there. Many big events in history such as The French Revolution and the Civil Rights Movement have caused social change, but our world is stronger because of those events. It takes leadership and a desire for growth to make a positive change in today’s society. Many philosophers have theorized social change through functionalism, conflict theory, and punctuated equilibrium. In the early twentieth century, Emile Durkheim along with the help of Talcott†¦show more content†¦Conflict theory is still prevalent today. â€Å"But as in all previous forms of society, a system that was once revolutionary has become the opposite. The potential to make new advances in the way tha t people use resources and produce things to meet their needs [...] has come into conflict with capitalisms social structure, dominated by a ruling class that puts its own wealth and power first†(Maass). In today’s world, products are not made to be distributed in bulk for people who need them, but to make a profit. This type of living creates conflict in society(Maass). An opposing theory, punctuated equilibrium shows society’s changes as happening very unexpectedly and having great effect. Although originated by Ernest Mayr, this theory was first introduced by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould in 1972(Science.jrank.org). These two paleontologists wrote a paper which established the foundation of this theory(Academic Room). â€Å"Mayr later complimented Eldredge and Goulds paper, stating that evolutionary stasis had been unexpected by most evolutionary biologists and that punctuated equilibrium had a major impact on paleontology and evolutionary biology†(Academic Room). Punctuated equilibrium reveals drastic changes in societies over short periods of time. â€Å"The central proposition of punctuated equilibrium embodies three