Theosophical Society

religions were connected by having the religious leader become the most influential and powerful in the societies of the Polynesians and the Mayans. Such as, the Polynesians had chiefs, who were the most influential in society, since they were believed to be genealogically related to the gods, therefore having great mana and in the Mayans civilizations, the priests had a high status in their society. A similarity between the Vietnamese and the Mayans would be that their religion consisted of…

The documentary Titicut Follies which takes place at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution located within Bridgewater takes a look into what a total institution was and still is. Goffman’s various definitions on what makes an institution a total intuition from his novel Asylums are very prevalent within the film. Such as his definition of a total institution which separates three spheres of life. It also shows multiple stereotypes between the inmate, staff relationship of what each group…

Within the confines of society of the modern age, technology is an inescapable reality. Technology follows individuals in all aspects of life from school and our computers, to the gym and the music playing from a range of devices. However, with all the short-term benefits of technology, devices such as our phones have also decreased the productivity and societal skills of humans. Consequently, the growing convenience of technology is a phenomenon developing in many works of literature, because…

1. Thich Nhat Hanh said, "Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature." What do you envision will be your signature in the world? I wish I could write about the Gines Vivancos who stars in my dreams and fantasies. If only my name could consist of my name followed by terms such as athlete, master worker, champion, genius, and prince charming. Sadly, these claims would be quite inaccurate. My dreams, however, take their place alongside my memories, my…

Living in an advanced modern society, it is hard to believe that civilizations are capable of collapse. Many think that the rise of civilization is an impressive feat. However, in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Jared Diamond outlines the five main factors that cause an entire civilization to fall. The Maya collapse is an example of a society that characterizes four of these factors. The first of these main factors is environmental damage that the inhabitants inflict upon…

groups. He is a structural functionalist who views society as an integrated unit, bound together by ties of ideas and social unity, and that everything in society exists for a purpose. In his writing, he sought to understand how moral and religious factors function in society. He stated that all forms of religion are essentially the same, they must serve a function in society and regardless of their form, serve the same function in every society. In "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life,"…

Compare and contrast different sociological perspectives on religion There are varied perspectives on religions role in society. Functionalists see religion as featuring in all societies, serving as a unifying force that strengthens the value consensus. Durkheim argued that religion performed an important function of acting as a ‘social cement’, in other words, it provides a set of moral values that forms a ‘collective conscience’ ensuring social stability, therefore preventing anomie. Many…

technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science (“Technology”) Technology was created to make things simpler and help people with their day to day life. Recently, however, people have taken advantage of technology and used it in a way that has hurt society as a whole. While the society described in “The Machine Stops” and the society today can be compared through a…

Dangers of Technology Can our benefits also cause harm? Many times our benefits will have repercussions or consequences. Whether it be ourselves or others receiving the hurt. There are many dangers with today’s technology. This can be seen through invasion of privacy, GMOs, and children having access. Dangers of technology can be seen in William Wordsmith’s The World Is Too Much With Us. The first danger is technology controls us. In the poem it says “The world is too much with us; late and…

Technology and Culture: An Anthology is a collection of essays compiled by editors Melvin Kranzberg and William Davenport. Each of these papers were previously submitted to the quarterly journal of the Society for the History of Technology entitled Technology and Culture. The editors wanted to focus on the history of technology. However, they realized that technology’s history would also have to be explored in the social and cultural context’s. Therefore, they compiled essays that reflected not…