Since the inception of sociology, scientists have viewed society as the sphere of activity of social groups and entire classes, which became the main "unit" of historical development. The Russian philosopher and sociologist P. L. Lavrov, who placed the personality at the center of the study of the science of society, which served as the beginning of the subjectivist school in sociology.
"Historical Letters" by P. Lavrov: the birth of subjectivism in sociology
The ideas that laid the foundation for the foundation of the subjectivist trend in sociology were first expressed by Peter Lavrov in his Historical Letters. Having paid considerable attention to the development of the concept of social progress, the Russian scientist proposed his own interpretation of the doctrine of society, the laws of its formation and the direction of development.
In the center of "Historical Letters" Lavrov is a person. It was her author who considered the bearer of moral ideals and the force that has the ability to change social forms of being. Lavrov believed that personality, being a subjective factor of social development, bears full responsibility for the forward movement of society in the direction of progress.
The formula of social progress in the interpretation of Lavrov sounded like this: the progress of society is the development of an individual in a moral, mental and physical respect, embodied in the social form of justice and truth. This formulation made the personality, with its subjective perception of reality, the main driving force of society.
Lavrov's sociological method
Considering objective research methods suitable only for the natural sciences, Lavrov proposed using a diametrically opposite, subjectivist approach in sociology. In the foreground, the scientist put not group forms of organization of society, but a person who acts in society under the influence of subjective impulses, and does not focus on external factors of the environment. To understand a person and the direction of her actions, the sociologist must identify himself with her, using the principle of empathy.
The goals that society sets for itself can only be realized by an individual, representatives of the subjectivist school believed. The absorption of the personality by society and the depersonalization of the social individual turn into an obstacle to progress. The method of comprehending history and social development is the subjective approach and individual actions of individual representatives of society.
However, not every person is capable of making history, Lavrov believed, but only one who is endowed with critical thinking. Such people are a minority in society, but it is they who become the driving force of progress and determine the moral character of society. The task of the rest of the society is to provide the critically thinking fellows with the best conditions for existence. Lavrov's methodological approach thus exaggerated the role of the advanced intelligentsia, pushing the masses into the background.
