Gerhard Lenski



Address the following questions fully and completely in your own words and voice; save your answers electronically. You will see at least one of these questions on your next unit exam in which you will be asked to demonstrate that you have read and mastered the material. Prepare your answers now. 

  1. What are the differences and similarities between social and biological evolution? What are the roots of the two perspectives?

  2. What is a "class system"? 

  3. What are the two "laws" of distribution? How do they operate?

  4. How is the rule of elites legitimated?

  5. What factors influence the rate of change experienced by a society?

  6. What is Lenski's hypothesis on technology, surplus, and inequality? What did his research on this reveal?

Required Readings:

Macrosociology: Four Modern Theorists, Chapter 4: Lenski's Ecological-Evolutionary Theory

Recommended Readings:

Review of Ecological-Evolutionary Theory

Links:

Gerhard Lenski's Ecological-Evolutionary Theory

Some Short Takes:

Lenski's ecological-evolutionary theory is very much influenced by classical theory and contemporary sociology and anthropology....It successfully integrates and synthesizes a variety of theoretical perspectives....His macro social theory is arguably the most comprehensive perspective in sociology today....Since its initial publication, Human Societies has provided a holistic alternative for thousands of sociology students.

References:

Lenski, Gerhard. 1966. Power and Privilege: A Theory of Social Stratification. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Lenski, Gerhard and Jean Lenski and Patrick Nolan. 1991. Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Lenski, Gerhard. 2005. Ecological-Evolutionary Theory: Principles and Applications. Colorado: Paradigm Publishers.

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  ©Frank Elwell
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