Traditional societies use the past as the template for the present

Evidence

History plays a major role in all civilizations, especially traditional societies. “For the greater part of history,” writes Hobsbawm, “we deal with societies and communities for which the past is essentially the pattern for the present.” The devout Hasidim or Amish still live lifestyles moored to centuries-old traditions. Individuals in cosmopolitan societies, by contrast, pick and choose from the past, replacing biased and harmful customs with ostensibly more practical alternatives. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 642

Categorization

• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Traditional societies resembled each other more than modern societies do; Invented traditions use claims of continuity with the past to inculcate norms. — Saba Mahmood, Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival…, 810; Pre-modern societies underwent change without experiencing it as accelerated rupture — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism: A Critique of…, 409 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Invented traditions use claims of continuity with the past to inculcate norms. #expands (0.82) — Saba Mahmood, Politics of Piety, 810
• The present realizes what was essential in the past #contradicts (0.80)
• Traditional societies resembled each other more than modern societies do #qualifies (0.75)
• Pre-modern societies underwent change without experiencing it as accelerated rupture #expands (0.75) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 409