In “Theoretical Perspectives on the City”, the author points out that any topic research can be answered in a number of different ways. He then goes on to pose the question “Are societies and social institutions orderly systems composed of interdependent parts?” to show that there is no clear right or wrong answer as either perspective can be taken. I thought about this questions and although I am not a researcher, I sided with those who believed the answer to be “no”. Society and social institutions, I believe, are controlled by those in power and as such are often grounds for power struggles. In some societies, these power struggles present themselves as rebellions and civil war, whereas in other societies they are more structured through political elections. In order to explain societies, particularly modern urban societies, theories were proposed as to how they function. One theory that was particularly interesting was that of Ferdinand Tonnies. After reading his views on rural vs. urban life, I wondered why he felt that modernization was such a threatening and self-promoting process? It could be because of the unfortunate consequences like hazardous working conditions.