'Evolutionary universals in society' according to Parsons
Parsons, in his paper on ''evolutionary universals in society'', was concerned to develop a generalized analytical theory and remained opposed to any view that evolutionary theory should be historical in the sense of historicism. Hence, he only adopts, tacitly, a two-stage model of social growth: the ''primitive'' and the ''modern''. He shuffles the evolutionary cards so as to distinguish between evolutionary universals and evolutionary prerequisites.
An evolutionary universal is identified as being ''a complex of structures and associated processes the development of which so increases the long-run adaptive capacity of living systems in a given class that only systems that develop the complex can attain certain higher levels of general adaptive capacity''.
Evolutionary prerequisites are universal elements in all human societies and Parsons lists four of these, their presence marking a minimum for a society to be considered truly human: technology, language, kinship and religion.
He identifies six evolutionary universals:
Social stratification.
Cultural legitimation of differentiated social functions.
A bureaucratic organization or the institutionalism of the authority of office.
A money and market complex.
Generalized universal norms, i.e. a formal legal system.
A democratic association or a liberal, elected leadership.
The first two of these evolutionary universals are of primary importance for societies to ''break out'' from a primitive stage of social organization. The rest have served to promote advanced industrialization, our present social order.
