Urban life and village life
Any scientific study of socio- philosophy must take into consideration the profound effect on social life on charges in the economic environment. Once of the most striking outward characters of the industrial age is the growth of city life.
In old times, the overwhelming majority of the people were engaged in agriculture. Here and there a city arose as a centre of trade of a seat of government, but it stood apart from the everyday life of the larger population.
Today in all industrialized countries the situation is reversed. The urban population has expanded continuously over the rural population. New facilities of communications made it convenient for people to live together in larger aggregations. Technical advance enables even smaller percentage of satisfy the agricultural needs of the whole population. Consequently the city grows at the expense of the country and as it does the whole character of society undergoes a change.
There is sharp difference between a country life and a city life. We need not consider here the difference in temperament which the two different types evoke. Let us consider the differences in their social structure.
In a country life the chance of nearness determines social relationship. We so not find neighbours helping each other, knowing each other more intimately and sharing the joys and sorrows of each other. In city life on the other hand nearness counts much less. People in a city hardly know their next- door neighbour much less do they influence each other’s activities, In a city where there are many storeyed buildings, not only that people do not know their neighbours but they are also ignorant of the other inhabitants of the same apartment. This is more true of the places where the self-contained block system of resident prevails.
We may sum up by saying that in a country people depend more on undifferentiated community, whereas in the city they depend more on deliberate associations formed by specific interests such as work, recreation, religion or some cultural activities. As a result of this in a city people do not feel the rigour of customary regulation and censure.
As distinguished from the country life, the people in the city have more opportunities for selection in the formation of social contacts. In a country life this choice is very limited. The city on the other hand specialized its inhabitants.
As such, as the city grows we come across the increasing number of specific associations. The importance of such association is also on the increase. These associations form a distinguishing characteristic of modern society. As distinguished from the country life in the city the old community spirit is weakened.
The city life differs from the country life in its advantages as well as disadvantages. For instance the city heightens suggestibility, alike for good and for evil, it quickness social movements. The city weakens custom and strengthens fashion. In the fashions of dress and the new urban life changes yet in another way the characters of society.
In city there is great extension of collective activity. Many activities like water-supply, lighting, disposal of refuse, protection, recreation and so forth pass under collective administration. A collective drive for control and prevention of disease also becomes imperative. The city increases the danger of infection since it is thickly populated.
