Modernisation, Materialism, And Law: Interrelations And Impact On Society
- IJLLR Journal
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
Ritaban Sarkar, LL.M. (Specialisation in Criminology), Government Centre of Legal Education, The University of Burdwan.
ABSTRACT
Modernisation, materialism, and law are all important in both personal and social life. Modernisation signifies recognising the modern tools, instruments, ideas, values, etc. Modernisation denotes changes. We know that change is inevitable in society,1 and society can not be static. Materialism, on the other hand, advocates materialistic pleasures in the manner of consuming goods and services. There is a large section of the people in the society who consider materialistic pleasures only the true form of modernisation. The actors of globalisation also promote the same conception for the sake of the open market policies. People become increasingly materialistic, often harming their well-being and the environment they inhabit. As the natural resources are limited, the demands of the people are fulfilled using those limited resources. Such usage creates huge problems in terms of environmental pollution and degradation of nature.2 The future generation can face severe problems if the unlimited wants are not checked properly. There are old institutions, traditions, and systems running in the society; their position and foothold can be challenged when the materialistic and modern systems gain a strong hold among the people, community, and society. That can create problems in society, as the existing systems and tools can contradict the new ones. It is the duty of the legislature and the judiciary to mitigate and settle disputes from the constitutional framework and uphold the necessities of society, recognising the requirements of modern days, and considering what constitutes national identity, national heritage, and culture, through their respective machineries. This research article is a socio-legal research work, and based on the available information in books, online articles, news and personal observations of society and it has been aimed to trace out the inter-relations of modernisation, law, and materialism, and their impact on society.
Keywords: Materialism, Modernisation, Law, Society.
