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Adaption Quote by Ralph Linton

“[The] tremendous and still accelerating development of science and technology has not been accompanied by an equal development in social, economic, and political patterns...We are now...only beginning to explore the potentialities which it offers for developments in our culture outside technology…” quote by Ralph Linton
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““[The] tremendous and still accelerating development of science and technology has not been accompanied by an equal development in social, economic, and political patterns...We are now...only beginning to explore the potentialities which it offers for developments in our culture outside technology, particularly in the social, political and economic fields. It is safe to predict that...such social inventions as modern-type Capitalism, Fascism, and Communism will be regarded as primitive experiments directed toward the adjustment of modern society to modern methods””

Ralph Linton

About This Quote

Source Essay: Social Change and Technology, 1960

Technological progress outpaces social, economic, and political adaptation, making current systems seem primitive.

In simple terms: Tech advances faster than society changes.

Key Takeaway

Adapt institutions with technology.

Themes

technology society change politics economics

Mood

critical forwardlooking analytical

Type

analytical critical

When to use this quote

  • policy making
  • education reform
  • business strategy

Key Concepts

social evolution systems theory

Questions to Reflect On

  • What social structures need redesign for new tech?
  • How can we balance innovation with equity?
A Different Perspective

Technological change can be uneven across regions.

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