Cultural Evolution & The Division of Labor
...ction, the introduction of machinery, and the expansion of major industries. Durkheim argued that the division of labor is a material social fact, society’s pattern of interaction. Durkheim held that the collective conscience of society was the source of religion and morality. Common values developed particularly in primitive societies were the bonds that held them together. Durkheim called this cohesion mechanical solidarity. In more complex societies, he believes the division of labor makes for cohesiveness, but the loss of commonly held values leads to social instability and disorientation of the individual. Durkheim reveals that during the course of evolution that there will always be disorganization in the transformation process. Because the division of labor is so wide spread and people have adapted to different lifestyles and various functions, we tend to depend on each other for assistance. For example in a primitive society, men as well as women took on more than one role. They hunted for food, built their she...