Convergence theory

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A convergence theory in the social sciences is based implicitly or explicitly on the hypothesis that all historically occurring examples of a type of social system develop in the same direction, namely towards the realization of a model case that can already be found in the present. After the directed development tendency is assumed to be justified, only the empirically encountered deviations from the "correct" development path require explanation.

Anyone who advocates a convergence theory links this more or less consciously with the propagation of certain value judgments. These can often also be traced back to the ethnocentrism of a theory or a theorist.

Theories about the path dependence of social change represent a critical counter-position to convergence theories , which show that despite the diffusion of innovative system parts, the respective social structures develop on a path that is shaped by their own history.

Examples

Any system comparison is subject to the danger of taking one or the other system implicitly as a model of a theoretical type. Corresponding tendencies can be seen in Plato's theory of the state with regard to Sparta , or in Karl Marx with regard to England and France . During the Cold War , some theorists advocated a convergence thesis regarding capitalism and actually existing socialism . Schumpeter in particular created a theory of convergence in terms of capitalism and communism.

literature