THE EFFORT TOWARDS AUTONOMY AND THE ALMOST INEVITABLE RESULT OF IMITATION: THE EVOLUTION OF THE THIRD WORLD BETWEEN THE WEBERIAN PARADIGM AND THE SEARCH OF AN OWN WAY

Abstract

The actual development in the Third World and the daily practices in it induce us to reconsider the debate between “classical” evolution theories and contemporary relativism, which denies the possibility of comparing civilizatory models and historic periods. Max Weber analysed the exceptional character of western modernity, whose global success was largely and widely recognized as such. Third World societies are now adopting numerous orientation values of western civilization, and because of this the western paradigm has been preserving its normative function. Considering the normative goals of contemporary history, the final result can be described as a strong effort for autonomy and critique of the western model, but an equally important tendency, which aims to imitate that paradigm.