Reviving the Organismic Analogy in Sociology: Human Society as an Organism PDF
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UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Reviving the Organismic Analogy in Sociology: Human Society as an Organism Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1179k78v Author Dunn, Matthew Bjorn Publication Date 2016 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Reviving the Organismic Analogy in Sociology: Human Society as an Organism A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Matthew Bjorn Dunn June 2016 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Jonathan H. Turner, Chairperson Dr. Christopher Chase-Dunn Dr. Dr. Alexandra Maryanski Dr. Raymond L. Russell Copyright by Matthew Bjorn Dunn 2016 The Dissertation of Matthew Bjorn Dunn is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside AKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the help and assistance of many people. First, I would like to thank all of my family for their love and support over the years. I would specifically like to thank my parents, Doug and Linda Dunn, and my wife, Gaby Dunn, for everything. I wouldn’t be where I am today without your unconditional love and guidance and for that I will forever be grateful. I would also like to thank all of the faculty at UCR who have both shaped my understanding of the world, and helped me navigate through the complexities of graduate school. Specifically, I would like to thank Dr. Jonathan H. Turner, Dr. Alexandra Maryanski, Dr. Christopher Chase-Dunn, Dr. Raymond Russell, Dr. Stephan K. Sanderson, Dr. Jan E. Stets, Dr. Peter J. Burke, and Dr. Scott V. Savage for all of their wisdom, guidance, and support over the years. I would like to thank the friends I’ve made as a graduate student at UCR. Jenna Mead, Kevin McCaffree, Kevin ‘Akron’ Curwin, Ryan Trettevik and Tony Roberts, you have all influenced my thinking and helped keep me sane. Finally, I would like to thank all of the staff at UCR, specifically Anna Wire, for all of the assistance you have provided me with during my time as a graduate student at UCR. iv DEDICATION Dedicated to Stanton Edward Gagel (1987 – 2016). v ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Reviving the Organismic Analogy in Sociology: Human Society as an Organism by Matthew Bjorn Dunn Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Sociology University of California, Riverside, June 2016 Dr. Jonathan H. Turner, Chairperson Comparing the operation of human societies to the operation of organisms was a common theme in the theories of sociology’s classical era. Despite this early prominence, the organismic analogy has received little attention from sociologists during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The present dissertation is an attempt to revive the organismic analogy in sociological theory. In so doing, the present dissertation will first outline the organismic analogy as it appeared in the sociological theories of Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer and Émile Durkheim. After providing that historical foundation, this dissertation will then use contemporary evolutionary theory to define an organism as a collective entity featuring a high level of cooperation and a low level of conflict among its component parts. Featuring a high level of cooperation and a low level of conflict among its component parts allows an organism to adaptively modify flows of energy in its environment, which in turn, enables its persistence. Also, organisms emerge through a vi three-part evolutionary process involving social group formation, social group maintenance, and social group transformation. After providing that background, this dissertation will then argue that a human society is a collective entity that exhibits a high level of cooperation and a low level of conflict among the individuals that compose the society. This arrangement allows the society to adaptively modify flows of energy in its environment, which in turn, enables the society’s persistence. Furthermore, human societies emerged through a three-part evolutionary process involving social group formation, social group maintenance, and social group transformation. Following from these arguments, human societies can be considered organisms. After arguing that human societies can be considered organisms, this dissertation will then argue that the organismic character of human societies has, in general, increased over time as societal evolution has unfolded. vii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ...........................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Organisms in Biology and Sociology Introduction ....................................................................................................11 The Organismic Analogy in Sociology ..........................................................11 Redefining the Organismic Analogy .............................................................31 Conclusion .....................................................................................................57 Chapter 3: Parallel Principles of Organization Introduction ....................................................................................................60 The Emergence of a Higher Level Organism ................................................61 The Emergence of the Human Societal Organism .........................................74 Conclusion .....................................................................................................95 Chapter 4: The Foraging Organism Introduction ....................................................................................................97 The Foraging Organism .................................................................................100 Societal Evolution and the Size-Complexity Hypothesis ..............................146 Conclusion .....................................................................................................158 Chapter 5: The Societal Organism Transformed Introduction ....................................................................................................160 From Foraging Societies to Agricultural Civilizations ..................................160 From Agricultural to Industrial Civilization ..................................................234 Conclusion .....................................................................................................271 viii Chapter 6: Conclusion ..............................................................................................274 References .................................................................................................................280 ix
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