Conclusions From Heterogeneous Societies, Research Paper Example

Heterogeneous society is a society that consists of many different classes, ethnic groups, cultures and nationalities. The population that is heterogeneous has been known to influence the democratic life qualities. Heterogeneous societies have been assumed to be the cause of difficulties for countries. This is for those countries who wish to have a chance to establish and also maintain peace and democracy. In the established democracies, heterogeneity has been seen to reduce the behaviors of citizens (Anderson and Paskeviciute 796). It is even more complex for those democracies that are less democratic. This is justified by how outsiders were treated in the middle ages. Outsiders were treated differently because they either did not fit in with all other people or they were not accepted in the cycles that existed. The separation may be because of their nationality, religion or any other characteristic that made them different from others. They therefore, did not have a chance and option when it came to decision making.

Advantages of heterogeneous societies

In a heterogeneous society, an individual is exposed to different lifestyles and cultures. It enables people be more tolerant and have a positive attitude towards other people. Heterogeneous societies are more accepting to all groups of people and provides all with equal opportunities. This is beneficial to outsiders as they will not be discriminated against and hence they will not have to separate themselves from others.

Disadvantages of heterogeneous societies

There is a chance of discrimination to occur. Members of a heterogeneous society differ in many ways, which include values. Discrimination occurs in school, churches and everywhere because of the diversity of values. In the society made of different types of people, language can be a barrier. This creates danger to the union that should exist in the society. The diverse nature of ethnic groups and religion can be destructive.

Ways that both culture and know-how move

Culture is a system that consists of adaptive functions. They are defined by different structures of meaning and artifacts. There are individual and collective, and other, different cultures and their connection to knowledge transfer differ. For transfer of knowledge to occur in individualistic cultures, expectations of both providers and acquirers of knowledge have to be aligned (Lucas 263). Collective cultures eliminate the notion of self interest and campaigns for equal provision of information to all groups. The transfer of knowledge becomes easy because of the technological changes taking place. This increases the know-how and integration of cultures. Transfer of knowledge is therefore, more successful in heterogeneous societies than the homogeneous societies. Transfer of cultures, ideas, technologies and personnel has continued because of the cultural differences (Lucas 264).

A comparison of middle ages with today’s world and if cultural exchange is good

In today’s word, religion is less central. In the medieval times, religion formed the basis for towns and the people living there. The systems of the hierarchy were different in the middle ages. Countries were ruled by monarchy unlike recently where countries are run with democracy or republic. The styles of dressing have also changed, and the forms of clothing available today are more comfortable than those of the Middle Ages. The today’s world is also more tolerant than the middle ages world was. Culture exchange is good because it increases the freedom of individuals. It also helps to revitalize cultural artifacts and culture through influences from the foreign technologies and cultures (Legrain 62). The freedom to choose cultural experiences helps to enrich the lives of individuals. Cultural exchange can be accepted or resisted depending on the contacts between societies, forces within a society and changes in their environment.

Is technological change always a good thing?

The effects of technological change such as internet connectivity have brought many benefits. This is not to say though that the changes are always good. Technological change has led to increased insecurities posed by the wide availability of information. Knowledge is freely available and hence users are becoming lazier as technology continues to evolve. What people do not realize is that the readily available updates can be more hurtful than the help they provide. People interest themselves more on the changes than the achievements or progress brought about by technological change. Culture changes in a way that is dynamic and people strive to learn the different cultures they encounter. This enables them to adapt easily to changes brought about by diversity.

Works Cited

Anderson, C and Paskeviciute, A. “How Ethnic and Linguistic Heterogeneity Influence the Prospects for Civil Society: A Comparative Study of Citizenship Behavior.” The Journal of Politics 68. 4 (2006): 783–802. Print.

Legrain, P, 2003. In Defense of Globalization: Why cultural exchange is still an overwhelming force for good. The International Economy Summer 2003. Print.

Lucas, L, 2006. “The role of culture on knowledge transfer: the case of the multinational

Corporation.” The Learning Organization 13.3 (2006): 257-275. Print.