A simple evolutionary model of social differentiation

Abstract

This article utilizes contemporary evolutionary theory to explain the rise of social differentiation and the increase in social diversity. It provides a conceptual analysis of the evolutionary theories of Parsons and Luhmann with an eye to avoiding some of the fallacies their critics have revealed and proposes a simple four-tier model of social differentiation that may serve as a guide in empirical research. © Lucius & Lucius Verlag Stuttgart.