Modernization Theory and Rural Environmental Problem;From 'Progressive Social Change Theory' toward 'Circular Social Change Theory'

One of the characteristics of the last four decades after 'World War II', was the 'discovery of famine' in the underdeveloped country, like Korea. A flurry of activities followed this sad discovery. Countless organizations and programs were set up to fight poverty and to combat famine in rural sector. In these days, the dominant development theory was 'modernization theory' which have gratuitously assumed that third world countries are like western countries are, and respond to the same stimuli as western countries do, although third world countries have completely different cultures, traditions, and mentality from western countries. Among the many problems caused by 'modernization theory', this research focused on the noel environmental problems. In the West the discovery of nature and its progressive control by means of science and technology are phenomena. Modem progress born in the West and carried to the rest of the world is not integrally positive and therefore can't be identified with the internal development of man and nature. As a result, the so-called modernization of Korea and other countries is contributing to the degradation of the nature and environment. It is important to give up the illusion that the fight against famine is a simple matter that could be solved through the imitation of western countries. It is also necessary to abandon the belief that the earth as a reservoir of unlimited resources, there to be exploited ad hoc for mankind's survival. Man-environment relationship must, essentially, be one of mutualism and not a case of survival of the fittest: In other words, man's survival is directly related to the survival of the earth and its resources.