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Abstract:
Sudden changes of state occur at all levels of society, and have always done so, be they marriages ending in divorce, bankruptcies of industrial enterprises, or the collapse of empires. Can such social discontinuities, moving either from order to chaos – the more common event – or from disorder to stability, be compared with perhaps similar events in the natural sciences? Can a valid theory be established to cover the subject of social discontinuities? These questions are addressed after defining the subject, discussing the causes of discontinuities, illustrating various occurrences and stressing the urgency of an analysis of discontinuities, as many assume our present social–technological society is especially prone to collapse. It is concluded that the subject remains a challenge to the social scientist, primarily because the people who are affected by discontinuities constantly change their behaviour and thus affect the phenomenon. This distinguishes the social from the natural sciences.
