SOC103H1 Chapter 2: Material Settings
Document Summary
Functionalism: talks about overpopulation as a serious global concern. States that food supplies grow additively (linear relation) and people grow. Exponentially (an exponential relation) and thus eventually the population will outgrow the number of resources needed to sustain everyone. Concerned with social equilibrium and feels that nature/natural laws of social life will enact positive checks to counter over-population and re-assert social equilibrium unless people work on preventive checks. Critical theory: suggests that fears of overpopulation are off base, because the real issue is unequal distribution of resources. Only disadvantaged countries experience the severe positive checks malthus descried and thus inequality and poverty cause the problems associated with overpopulation. Suggests that a zero population growth strategy is the best option. Functionalism: social problems in the city are a natural result of growth and specialization (increase of wealth leads to increase in theft or robberies, more privacy=more private vice, density increases competitions for local resources).
