Centuries in the past, societies existed. Human beings are the creatures endowed with reason. Wherever there is society, people set up rules with which society was organized and the ways of living. These sets of rules and ways are called values. As a matter of fact, to put these values in clear and specific context, people who lived according to those past values are called traditionalists. Those traditional values were well considered and they played fundamental roles within traditional societies. In the last hundred years, knowledge in science and technology has greatly increased. Since they came with their own methods of discovering and accepting truth, science and technology compared to traditional values, are new knowledge or modern concepts. As a result, two blocs were born within the societies: a bloc favoring traditional values, and a bloc favoring modern concepts. Furthermore, there questions are raised? Is there any reason for the two blocs to be so opposite? Isn’t it possible to find a room for improvement in order to make these two so-called opposite sides get on well by bringing them into being complementing each other?
Wherever a society is established, there is a number of ideas that govern it. Historically, people in the past lived according to values which were inherent to them. As there is need to qualify these values, the word values goes along with tradition - related to the past customs. Traditional values played fundamental roles in the traditional societies.
Social role: societies were organized with traditional values. Education of children was based on traditional and moral values. Good behavior was apparent in every member of the society. Families lived according to traditional values. People did not resort so frequently to divorce. Old people were considered as the detainers of the traditional values. Honor and respect were given to them; so, they had great prestige in the society. The palaber-trees they used to organize was fruitful. Young people acquired moral and traditional values; moral, spiritual, and traditional teaching were learnt by young people. That is why a famous Malian writer, Amadou Hampaté Bâ said that "an older man who dies in a library which is burnt." Whatever happened within the society, old people were consulted. Their ideas opinions, and advice were acquired and applied at anytime.
Economic: Even though there were not means like machines and advanced technology, the society was flourishing. Work was considered as a value in the society. People learnt to be hard-workers. Mutual help was apparent in the society, particularly in the families. Selfish men were denied among people, they helped each other. As they were the products of their society, people were useful for the whole society.
If we take the case of Africa, there is no doubt that before colonialism, the African society was organized and based on traditional values. The land was rich; and people used their traditional means and values to exploit the soil. So they were self-sufficient in life with a high standard of living according to traditional values.
However, in the last hundred years, knowledge in science and technology has greatly increased. As there are new knowledge and they touch people’s many field’s in life, science and technology could not fail to have influenced traditional values. Traditionalist people, especially older people, did not welcome massively the birth and coming of science and technology. Young people, who have not plunged yet in the traditional values, have massively embraced science and technology considered as modern concepts. Modern concepts refer to a life dominated by science and technology which have shaped partly man’s way of living, thinking, behaving and so on. Accordingly, the different sides appeared within societies: Traditional values versus modern concepts.
Modern concepts were seen as threats to traditional values. In modern concepts, priorities are given to science and technology. Science and technology dictate ways of living, thinking, behaving, speaking. There is today, development of the means of communication and machines. In many men’s fields, machines replace men. Development of science and technology has given birth to materialism and capitalism which favor the research for economic growth and freedom of men. Consequently, no spiritual, moral, and traditional values are taken into account.
Moreover, both traditional and modern concepts can be in the same room. They aim to raise the standard of living of the society and to develop it. Used constructively and relatively, they won’t have any reason to be opposite. A Senegalese writer, Cheikh Hamidou Kane said that there is need for people to benefit from modern knowledge in order "to learn how to bind words together," which means to cultivate oneself with the mix of the two cultures. Today, with globalization, there is no reason for cultures and values to keep away from each other. Everything will be globalized; and no one can prevent things from getting globalized.
In short, traditional values played fundamental roles in the societies. Science and technology, which gave birth to modern concepts, soured the conflict between traditional values and modern concepts. But they have also widened our vision and understanding of the world. Both traditional and modern concepts were seen as opposite because of misunderstanding and misconception. Nowadays, used constructively, positively, and selectively, traditional values and modern will cease to become enemies and will also become people’s panacea.