From the point of view of the subjective approach, in sociology, the personality is the only true measure of historical development, the progress of society, and it is also the connecting link of the entire social process. These ideas were first put forward by P. L. Lavrov, who developed the doctrine of society as a whole, the direction of its development and the laws of functioning. Lavrov’s method is to consider all of these phenomena from the point of view of personality. The subject is the most important thing in knowing the world. The latter is presented to man as a result of the methods of his knowledge, which are carried out by the subject himself.
Key Points
The subjective approach was developed primarily by P. Lavrov and N. K. Mikhailovsky. This theory includes several components:
- the subjective method in sociology, its justification, the determination on its basis of the subject of science;
- identification of the determinants of the development of society;
- a peculiar view of the causes and criteria of social progress;
- personality, its role in history.
Justification of the subjective method
Objective methods of cognition are inherent in the natural sciences, while sociology must use a subjective approach. From this point of view, Lavrov’s method determined the personality, and not the group or class, to the forefront. It is she who acts in society under the influence of subjective determinants, and not external factors. Thus, a person cannot be knowable by anyone other than the subject using the principle of empathy. This means that the observer can put himself in the position of the observed, identify himself with him and thereby understand and cognize.
Society development and social progress criteria
The subjective method in the sociology of Lavrov and Mikhailovsky puts the individual at the center of society. Consequently, the latter progresses when a personality develops in it in the moral, mental and physical planes. The goals of society can be achieved only thanks to the personality, which in no case should not be absorbed by society. Thus, the method of Lavrov in sociology puts at the forefront the study of the relationship between people, the search for the causes of such interaction as the only method of studying the history of mankind.
Personality as the driving force of history
How does a person become the engine of social progress and the arbiter of the history of all mankind? Critical thought - such an answer gives the subjective method of Lavrov. Critical thinkers are the engines of civilization. They constitute a minority in society, while other people must provide them with the conditions for existence. A critically thinking minority determines the moral orientation of society. These individuals should not be drowned out or suppressed, otherwise the society will simply perish. Thus, the main goals of the development of society should be a self-fulfilling personality, the development of individuality and critical thinking. That is why social progress is characterized by the creation of relations between people that contribute to the development of personality in all its manifestations.
