e ownership of capital goods and the ownership of productive goods (including rights over the labor of others). Technical Knowledge fulfills the function of finding means to goals without any part in determining goals. From a societal point of view, this can never be as important as the actual integration of goals, so technical positions take a subordinate seat to integrative functions. The methods of recruitment to technical positions (education) and the degree of specialization determine the amount of prestige given to technicians. Variation in Stratified Systems: Systems of stratification are not easily categorized. Any stratification system is a composite of its status with reference to the following internal and external conditions. Internal:1.) The degree of specialization determines the fineness between and multiplicity of ranks in power and prestige.2.) The nature of functional emphasis (e.g., familistic, authoritarian, theocratic, totalitarian, capitalistic, etc.), determine who has rank over whom.3.) The amount of social distance between positions reflects whether a society emphasizes egalitarian principles or not.4.) The amount of mobility in a system is determined by its degree of opportunity.5.) The degree of class solidarity is determined by the presence and strength of specific organizations to promote class interests. External:1.) A society's stage of cultural development will determine its degree of specialization, its degree of opportunity, and its functional emphasis.2.) A society's situation with respect to other societies, such as constant warfare, free trade, isolation, etc., will affect is functional emphasis.3.) The size of a society will affect its degree of specialization and its degree of class solidarity. GOOD STUFF START HERE Social stratification lies at the core of society and of the discipline of sociology. Social inequality is a fundamental aspect of virtually all social processes, and a person's positio...
