How does a person’s social essence manifest itself? The existence and essence of people
Essence of Man- this is a stable complex of interrelated specific characteristics that are necessarily inherent in the individual as a representative of the genus “man” (“humanity”), as well as as a representative of a certain (including a specific historically defined) social community.
Signs of human essence:
1. the essence of man has a generic character
The essence of a person expresses the uniqueness of the genus “man,” which is one way or another represented in every single instance of this genus.
The essence of a person includes a set of traits that make it possible to judge how the genus “man” differs from other kinds of beings, i.e. things or creatures. Essence is inherent only in the genus. The bearer of the essence is the genus, but not each individual instance of the genus.
2. the essence of man is active- this means that it is formed and exists only as the sum of specifically human activities. The active nature of human essence is expressed through the concept "essential human powers"- these are the universal capabilities of man as a generic being, realized in the process of history; these are motivating factors and means, as well as methods of human activity (needs, abilities, knowledge, abilities, skills). The essential forces of man are objective in nature. Each ability and, accordingly, each human need has its own object in the world of culture. Thus, the essential forces of man presuppose the presence of a special kind of objectivity - social objectivity (see the fragment about man as an objective being in the “Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts” of 1844 by Karl Marx // Soviet Collected Works, volume 42, pp. 118 - 124) .
3. the essence of man is social in nature.
The individual as a species being is a social being. The human essence is formed in the process of joint activity of people, and therefore presupposes certain social forms of this activity, a system of social relations (for example: a system of relations expressing the division of labor functions in a primitive collective, as well as the principles of distribution of the produced product). In the inner world of an individual, this system of relations is presented in the form of value and normative regulators:
3 ideas about what should be
4 ideas about fairness
5 ideas about differences in social statuses, etc.
All qualities inherent in individual people and distinguishing one person from another are social relations (such are
1 person's mind
2 beauty (attractiveness)
4 generosity, etc.)
Each of these qualities is realized only as the relationship of a given person (the bearer of these qualities) to another person.
In this specified aspect, the generic essence of a person acts as a synonym for the social essence.
4. the essence of man has a specific historical changeable character. It means that
1) when a new human individual (baby) is born, the human essence is not born with it. This essence is formed in the activities of the individual throughout his life. An individual becomes an individual when it enters the company of others.
2) the essence of a person changes with the change of historical eras, i.e. with changing types of social relations. “The essence of man is not an abstraction inherent in an individual. In its reality, it (the essence of man) is the totality of all social relations” (Karl Marx “Theses on Feuerbach”).
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Introduction to Philosophy
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All topics in this section:
Concept, structure, functions of worldview
Only humans have a worldview; it is a specifically human phenomenon. Marx, Engels “German Ideology”: “The animal does not relate itself to anything; for an animal its relationship to others
Types of worldview
In the history of human culture, 3 types of worldviews have developed: mythology, religion, philosophy. Mythology and religion are the prerequisites of philosophy. However, all 3 types of worldview were shaped by
Ethnological
2) cosmological - they tell about the origin of space and man, as well as about the first ancestors of man - the so-called “heroes”. 3) eschatological
Imperative (behavior modeling function)
3. function of integrating people, uniting people into a community. Thanks to myth, a person realizes and comprehends his belonging to a certain community. Myth
Social
This possibility is realized only in connection with the totality of a person’s practical activities and his social relations. With every great historical revolution in society
Communicative
Religion is the basis for communication (believers among themselves, with clergy, etc.) 4. regulatory - this is the function of legitimizing the social order through binding
Features of philosophy as a type of worldview
The worldview is formed objectively, outside and before philosophy (within the framework of everyday consciousness on the basis of general cultural material available to the individual, as well as one’s own life experience). 1. D
Life-creative
The concept of the life path plays a decisive role in this worldview. For any individual, it is important to understand not so much a person’s place in the world in general, but rather his own place in specific life
Spiritual-practical
It is represented in art (in fiction). At this level, philosophical problems are posed and revealed through artistic images: through the thoughts and actions of heroes, through cars
Theoretical philosophy
It is associated with professional activity, with vocation, talent. It is characteristic of all 3 levels of philosophizing that philosophizing people are interested not so much in the objects of the world themselves.
Types of philosophizing
A type of philosophizing is an explanatory principle (or attitude) underlying the picture of the world formulated by a person. Historically it happened somewhat like this
Features of theoretical philosophy as a form of consciousness
The uniqueness of theoretical philosophy: 1. It represents an independent form of social and individual consciousness. Consciousness is the sphere of function
Subject and methods of theoretical philosophy
The concept of the subject of philosophy was given by V. Windelband (beginning of the 20th century): “Philosophy received in the Hellenistic period (late antiquity) what had already been outlined earlier (by the Sophists and Socrates) practically
Structure of philosophical knowledge
The structure of a person’s relationship to the world also determines the internal structure of philosophical knowledge. Philosophical knowledge includes: 1. philosophical anthropology - in the broad sense of the word this
Materialist philosophers
Supporters of the philosophy of materialism. Materialism is one of two fundamental directions, according to which the material, bodily-sensual principle is primary, active, defining
in relation to epistemology
Is reality knowable as such (objective and subjective)? Is true knowledge achievable? All philosophers are divided into those who recognize and those who deny knowability.
In axiology
The main question of philosophy: are moral and aesthetic criteria relative or absolute? Do spiritual values have independent meaning (autonomy) or are they based on practical
Dialectical and metaphysical
(their opposite is revealed by F. Engels in his work “Anti-Dühring”) 2. with the development of humanitarian knowledge (we are talking about the development of historical science at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries,
The historical nature of ideas about man
One can distinguish between anthropology and anthropologism in the broad and narrow sense of the word. In a broad sense: anthropologism is a universal characteristic of a worldview, and therefore a universal character
antiquity
This era understood man based on the following principles: 1. human and natural are one; man is a microcosm, i.e. small world, display and with
Middle Ages
It is believed that man is created in the image and likeness of God. Man must strive to maintain this godlikeness. The Fall destroys man's godlikeness, his unity with God. However divine
Modern era
Rene Descartes believed that the only reliable evidence of human existence is thinking, the act of thought. The essence of man is the mind, and the body is an automaton, or mechanic.
Human
Man is the highest level of development of living organisms on Earth, a subject of socio-historical activity and culture. When the word "man" is used, it means
Humanity
Humanity is a global community of people, i.e. all people who once lived and are now living (this is the definition of humanity as a nominal community). Humanity within itself is very
Human existence
The concept of “existence” in the classical philosophical tradition was used to designate the external existence of a thing, which (unlike the essence of a thing) is comprehended not by thinking, but by direct feeling.
The problem of anthropogenesis
ANTHROPOGENESIS is a historically long (from 3.5 to 4.5 million years) period of human formation. The origin of man and the emergence of society are two inextricably linked
Religious-ethical
Within its framework, the problem of spiritual and moral criteria of humanity is raised; this is the problem of the formation of man as a spiritual and moral being in the history of the ancestral (i.e. humanity) and individual
Fundamental Human Characteristics
The originality of a person is reflected in his following traits: 1. universality This is the absence of hereditarily programmed species behavior 2. absolute n
The essence and trend of interaction
The concept of “nature” means: 1. the totality of natural conditions of existence of socially organized humanity 2. nature acts as the opposite of
Until sep. XX century (or before the beginning of the XX century)
Characterized by the following features: 1. yielding to the power of nature, man at the same time steadily increased his power, dominance over natural forces
Sociologizing
These concepts have their source: 1 partly in the Christian tradition 2 partly in vulgarized Marxism. Common features of these concepts:
Modern scientific approach to the problem
(main theses): 1. The individual as a natural being is endowed with natural forces that exist in him in the form of inclinations and attractions
Philosophy of gender
1. The concept of “sex” can be used in a purely biological sense, i.e. to denote the morphological and physiological differences on the basis of which people, like other living things
The concept of human individuality
The concept of personality has an interdisciplinary status. 1. Personality (in a formal, extremely abstract sense) is a person, i.e. the individual as a subject of activity and relationships.
Individuality
The concept of individuality is very complex. In the literal sense, individuality means the uniqueness of the indivisible. In the concept of human individuality about
Philosophical meaning of the concept of being
The category “being” distinguishes supersensible unity and completeness of reality. Being is the last thing it is permissible to ask about; this is the ultimate basis => being cannot be traditional
category of substance
If we understand being as the unity of essence and existence, then we can say that the concept of “substance” expresses the essential side of being. In the modern understanding (sense) substance
Parmenides
The first attempt to reveal the meaning of existence conceptually belongs to the representative of the Eleatic school of Greek philosophy Parmenides (born in 515 (544) BC) Our thought is always a thought about something
Democritus
OK. 460 BC Democritus was born. According to Democritus, being is plural, the unit of being is the atom. An atom cannot be seen, it can only be thought. All things are made of atoms. Atom Dem
The concept and problem of being in medieval philosophy
Medieval philosophy understands God as an uncreated being and as the source of any finite created being. I. The problem of proving the existence of God (in relation to
Extreme realism
Representative - Guillaume of Champeaux Position of extreme realism: a universal is a real thing that, as an unchanging essence, is entirely contained (is contained) in every
Conceptualism
Representative - Pierre Abelard (1079 - 1142) Abelard starts from extreme nominalism, proceeds from the general position of nominalism (the position of Roscelin), that only individual things really exist
Concepts of being
In the philosophy of the New Age (XVII - XVIII centuries), the problem of being was comprehended based on the following principles: 1. being is reduced to an objective existence, knowable
Irrationalistic concepts of existence
This expression is ambiguous, because since they are concepts, they cannot be rationalistic. Principles: 1. being at its core does not obey anyone
Superhuman (tragic)
Type of experience - aesthetic experience, tragic experience. 1) tragedy is always extra-scientific, i.e. the truth of the tragedy is inaccessible to science. 2) the tragic experience is supermoral: tragedy
Attributes and forms of existence of matter
The development of ideas about matter includes, by and large, the following stages: 1. characteristic of ancient Greek philosophy. Feature - understanding
The problem of the material unity of the world
The dialectical-materialist concept of the unity of the world was formulated by Engels in his work “Anti-Dühring.” Dühring's position: the unity of the world lies in its being; being is one,
The concept and characteristics of social existence
The content of social existence forms the life activity of people, i.e. the process of realization and development of the essential forces of individuals, as well as the process of interchange of these forces. Definition of essence
Existence
Human existence is understood as existence. Existence is interpreted as true (authentic, my own) existence. The concept of “existence” indicates a unique
The concept and structure of materialist dialectics. Objective and subjective dialectics
Materialistic dialectics in the modern concept is the doctrine of natural connections, the formation and development of being and knowledge. According to Engels, dialectics -
The principle of objectivity and universal interconnection
This is the same principle. This is a requirement to consider an object in all its diversity and completeness of its relationships with other objects. 2. principle of self-propulsion (principle of development)
Abstractness and one-sidedness
This is the desire to consider things and concepts of the human mind (in which these things are reflected) in their isolation from each other, in a motionless state, not as essentially changeable, but as eternal
The principle of ascent from the abstract to the concrete
This principle plays the role of a method of scientific research and consists in moving from empirical facts to the top of a specific theoretical concept, from one-sided and content-poor consciousness to
The principle of unity of the historical and logical
Implemented in Marx's Capital. Historical is the real process of formation and development of the object being studied (for example, capital). Logical - uh
The Problem of Progress Criteria
The concept of development is initially associated with the concept of a system (initially, the assumption is introduced that only system objects can develop) and the concept of “level of organization of the system.”
The relationship between form and content
Content is the composition of all elements of an object, the unity of its properties, internal processes, connections, contradictions and development trends. Example: content of any living org
Systematic principle
Ludwig von Bertalanffy: A system is a complex of interacting elements. An element is a further indecomposable component of the system for a given method e
The principle of determinism
Determinism is associated with the recognition of the objective conditionality of all phenomena in their existence and development. The principle of determinism includes:
Dialectics of necessity and chance
Necessity is something that naturally follows from the internal essential connections of a given object and that, given certain conditions, occurs inevitably. This kate
The relationship between necessity and freedom
Freedom is a characteristic of human activity, expressing a person’s ability to carry out his activities in accordance with his own (internally determined) goals
The concept of reflection. Consciousness as the highest form of reflection
Textbook "Introduction to Philosophy", volume 2, pp. 291 - 303. Reflection is the ability of some objects, as a result of interaction with other objects, to reproduce through change
Marxist doctrine of the emergence and essence of consciousness
In Marxist philosophy, consciousness is seen as the highest form of reflection. Lenin: “It is logical to assume that all matter has a property essentially different from sensation - its
Consciousness is ideal, i.e. it is not identical
1) that which is reflected in its images (not identical to the objective world and its connections) 2) that with the help of which this process of reflection occurs, i.e. brain and physiological activity
Structure and functions of consciousness
(in relation to Marxist philosophy) The psyche is broader than consciousness, because it also includes unconscious mental phenomena and processes. Unconscious
Creative
Consciousness is a necessary prerequisite for the purposeful transformation of human reality. Lenin (“Philosophical Notebooks”): “Human consciousness not only reflects the objective world, but
The problem of the ideal in Marxist philosophy
Ideal is a philosophical concept that characterizes a specific way of being of an object. Marx: “The ideal is nothing other than the material, transplanted into man.”
Modern philosophical programs for the study of consciousness
The list of programs is not exhaustive. In the philosophy and science of the 20th century, a contradictory situation arises in relation to consciousness: in theoretical terms, the question of the specifics of consciousness
Instrumentalist
Here the concept of consciousness is concretized through its interpretation as a set of methods, means, and forms of optimizing human life. There is not a single area of human life that
Intentionalist programs
Intention - lat. "intention", "direction". Within the framework of this type of program, primarily the intentional properties of consciousness are subject to study. From the point of view of phenomenology (phenomenol
Conditionalist programs
Konditsio - lat. "condition", "state". Within the framework of this type of program, the dependence of consciousness on 1 bodily organization (somatic states) 2 structure and function is studied
The problem of the unconscious in the psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud
(1856 - 1939) Freud identifies 3 aspects of considering the psyche of an adult: I. topic - this is the construction of spatial
economics (economic factor)
Within this aspect, mental processes are considered from the point of view of the distribution of mental energy. III. dynamics Within this aspect there are different
Secondary process
These include: 1 thinking 2 recollection - memory in action (the area of the unconscious) 3 consciousness, which authorizes behavioral acts. Main function with
Economic theory, including political economy, to clarify the role of a person resorts to various characteristics: subject of productive forces and economic relations (production), labor force, personal factor of production, human capital, economic person, and the like. The searches of scientists last for several centuries; various theories have been created about the place of man in economic and social progress.
In Marxist political economy, despite the proclaimed thesis about man as the main productive force, political and economic problems, the laws of human development and his role in relations of economic property (except for the position, it is the subject of such relations) were practically not considered. Disclosure of the socio-economic essence of man, the role of man as a worker and man as an owner, the importance of economic thinking and the law of increasing needs makes it possible to understand that it is man who is the decisive driving force of socio-economic progress.
Socio-economic essence of man
The social essence of man.
Each person is a very complex system that combines earthly and cosmic forces, the natural and spiritual worlds, the genes of her ancestors and the gene pool of future generations, and the like. So, back in the 17th century. the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens (1629-1696) connected human activity with the Cosmos; This idea was developed by the domestic scientist Vladimir Vernadsky (1863-1945) in the concept of the noosphere. Various aspects of man are studied by natural and social sciences and special scientific institutions. Philosophy offers the simplest generalized characteristic of a person, defining it as a biosocial and spiritual being, that is, a being in which the biological and social sides are contradictory, mutually conditioning, mutually exclusive, interpenetrating, etc., i.e. interact with each other. Therefore, the Ukrainian philosopher Grigory Skovoroda (1722-1794) distinguished between the internal (spiritual) and external (material) nature in man. Characterizing the essence of man, M. Tugan-Baranovsky called the human personality the supreme goal in himself.
Social essence of man- a complex of social activities based on preserving the positive aspects of modern economic man (a new type of worker and owner) in combination with his biological side.
Man as a biological being is a creation of God, which has been constantly affected by the influence of nature. It is endowed primarily with natural forces that are formed and reproduced in the labor process. Therefore, work from a physical point of view is the implementation of certain functions of the human body, each of which requires the brain, nerves, muscles, sensory organs, etc. Human reproduction involves the preservation and maintenance of the individual as a biological phenomenon.
People must also meet their environmental needs. Nature both produces and directly satisfies them. It is the fundamental basis for the physical, mental and emotional health of the individual and society as a whole. Ignoring the laws of nature worsens the ecological environment and deforms the personality. Thus, according to American scientists, in the United States, up to 9% of the population's mortality is associated with an increase in the content of harmful substances in the air. Loud noise (over 66 decibels) accelerates aging and shortens life expectancy by 8-12 years.
The scientific and technological revolution places increased demands on the natural side of man (his nervous system, sensory organs, psychology, etc.). In particular, the intensity of labor (primarily mental), emotional, nervous, and psychological stress on the human body are increasing. Since man is part of nature, it is necessary to take into account additional criteria for the humanization and greening of technology with anticipation of the immediate and long-term consequences of its impact on nature (surrounding forests, ground and surface waters, field productivity, air, possible changes in background radiation, thermal effect, chemical background, etc. .). When determining the living standard of the population, the state of the environment and the ecological situation should be taken into account. It is also necessary to develop an ecological culture and ecological thinking. Expenditures on environmental protection should become an integral part of the state's social expenditures, and broad sections of the population and political parties should be involved in the development of environmental policy.
Man as a social being is the totality of all social relations, the structure of which is determined by the structure of the socio-economic formation. This set includes economic (in the dialectical unity of technical-economic, organizational-economic relations and property relations), social, political, legal, national, cultural, spiritual and other relations.
With the expansion of the sphere of human activity, its essence is enriched and essential forces are more fully revealed. Therefore, in addition to a human worker, it must be a human owner, a human politician, a bearer of culture, spirituality, national spirit and energy of the people. These types of activities largely coincide with various aspects of determining the essence of property.
To implement progressive transformations in Ukraine, it is necessary to overcome the deep alienation of workers from economic property (including intellectual property), the labor process, its results, from the management of production and property (which generally means overcoming economic alienation), from class and human community (social alienation ), from political, legal power, from culture, appropriation of spiritual benefits, from the use of a comprehensive information support system. It is also necessary to overcome the alienation of a person from history (one’s country, people). Only under such conditions is it possible to expand the possibilities of a person’s self-realization, the full and free development of his physical, organizational and spiritual abilities.
Human nature can be considered as the totality of its needs and hobbies. The individual, satisfying his needs, reproduces himself as a social entity. The determining factor for a person is the satisfaction of the most basic economic needs: food, clothing, housing. On this basis, cultural, spiritual and other needs can be satisfied. In turn, social needs actively influence economic ones. Needs arise in the form of an objective goal, a specific human goal. Therefore, she sets a task for herself and strives to complete it. The socio-economic progress of society largely depends on the timely awareness by the majority of the population of new needs and their inclusion in practical activities. Thus, after the declaration of independence of Ukraine, the development of a powerful, economically independent state is a national necessity. Only on this basis can the living standards of the population be raised, national culture developed, and the like.
Historians Mikhail Grushevsky, Ivan Kripyakevych and others spoke about such features of the Ukrainian nation as common sense, the ability for introspection and self-criticism, optimism, spiritual, moral and cultural potential, intelligence, energy and enterprise, extreme love of freedom, etc. Without them, revival is impossible to mobilize the energy of the nation, the spirit of patriotism, etc., and consequently, build a powerful national economy and state. To achieve this, it is necessary to form a modern economic person, which combines the traits of a worker and the traits of an owner.
Topic 5. MAN, OR SOCIAL FORM OF MATTER
The crisis nature of human existence in the modern era has extremely aggravated three fundamental questions of human existence - about the essence of man, the method and meaning of his existence, and the prospects for further development. The task of preserving humanity on Earth has given the deepest vital meaning to the most important question for humanity - “to be or not to be.”
In scientific philosophy, the most general aspects of human essence are revealed by the concepts of “man in an infinite world” (universal) and “man in society” (social). Both concepts can be distinguished only with a certain degree of convention; they are inextricably linked and form an integral philosophical concept of man. Certain aspects of human essence are also considered by ethics, aesthetics and other philosophical theories.
If the universal concept reveals the essence of man as a “universal”, and not a purely “local”, “provincial” phenomenon, his special place in the world, greatness, dignity and ability for endless development, then the social concept - as an integral social a being that produces itself and its own social environment. “People,” wrote K. Marx and F. Engels, “can be distinguished from animals by consciousness, by religion, by anything at all. They themselves begin to distinguish themselves from animals as soon as they begin produce the means of life they need is a step that is determined by their bodily organization. By producing the means of subsistence they need, people indirectly produce themselves and their material life.”102 Man is a being that produces itself, its being and essence. In this case, the being produced by it arises initially in the form mental prototype. Therefore, man is not only producing, but also conscious being.
Man is the basic element of society, which is nothing more than complexly organized group of individuals, there is a society society of people or people in their activities and relationships with each other. Society, i.e. myself man in his social relations, - This is how Marx defines the human essence of society. The basis of these relations is the unity of the generic and the individual in human essence. The generic in a person is everything that is characteristic of every person, a person in general, as well as humanity as a whole. Generic traits exist only through real individuals. In this case, the generic acts, as will be shown below, as determining only in relation to each individual and what is actually individual in him. It does not dominate the mass of individuals, but, being integral, enters into each individual as a separate entity. If the generic does not exist in the individual as a kind of separateness, it does not exist in the entire mass of individuals. The human essence therefore necessarily individualized, is the essence of each individual.
Social science is almost completely dominated by the assertion that the essence of man lies in set of social relations. This interpretation of human nature is an overly broad interpretation of Marx's sixth thesis on Feuerbach, according to which the essence of man is not an abstraction inherent in the individual; in its reality it is the totality of all social relations. However, the sixth thesis expresses only one side of the Marxist concept of man - the relational one. An attempt to dissolve a person in the totality of relationships, to identify a person as a material being with relationships is in complete contradiction with the spirit of scientific materialism and economic teaching. From these positions, a person is not a set of connections, but a specific, highest form of matter, an objective social being, a substrate (substantial) element of society, located in relationships with its own kind. Marx sharply criticized the idea of man as a kind of incorporeal, non-objective being. “Non-objective being, he emphasized, is impossible, absurd creature" 103. Unfortunately, this absurd idea of man is presented in most studies as a truly Marxist point of view. Marx’s deepest thought about man as “the totality of all social relations” is that man as a social being cannot be understood outside the system of social relations, cause And result which he is. However, man is first and foremost a material, objective being, the main productive force that produces not only consumer goods, but also the economic form of society - economic relations.
The “relational” definition of a person does not reveal the main side of the essence of a person as an active being, a subject of work and relationships. A complete definition of a person includes, first of all, an indication of the role of a person as a productive force, a subject of labor and relationships, and a creator of relationships. "How society itself produces a person as a person, - Marx wrote, and so did he produces society”104. Man is the main objective factor of social life. In the same time in the aspect of your consciousness and activity directly directed by consciousness, man acts as a subjective factor in history. The objective nature and role of man are primary in relation to the subjective side of his existence and activity.
As an organized collective of individuals, society represents the unity of two sides - material and spiritual, expressed in concepts social existence and social consciousness.
In its proper sense, social existence is the existence of a social form of matter, a collective of social material beings in their material activities and relationships. In other words, social being - this is the total existence of individuals, the real process of their life. Analyzing in “Capital” a fairly developed stage of the historical process - capitalist society, Marx defined social being itself as supersensible. This supersensible existence was revealed by him using the example of value as “crystals” of social abstract labor contained in a commodity. He showed that ordinary, sensually perceived things, having become goods, turn “into sensual-supersensible, or social things.” At the same time, supersensible, value relations turn out to be hidden behind property relations, because the specifically social nature of the work of private producers is manifested only within the framework of exchange. Therefore, in the eyes of private producers, their own social movement takes the form of the movement of things. He called this “material appearance of social definitions of labor” commodity fetishism. Human individuals, being material social beings, act as the main, or actually social, the substance of social existence. Having an objective social essence - to add the forces of nature to his own social forces, the actual social individual is at the same time bodily individual. The social essence of man appears in unity with his physicality. The inclusion in the actual social substance - the most complex collective of social beings - of biological, and more broadly, of natural being as the basis on which the actual social being of people exists, serves as the basis for identification social substance with biological. To avoid reductionism, which “entirely” reduces the higher to the lower, it is necessary to take into account the following. Recognition of the real existence of a social substance that is not reducible to a biological organism, or “body,” has “inferential character”. The logical procedure for deriving the concept of a particular material substance (physical, biological, etc.) consists of a conclusion from movement, property or manifestation to their bearer. Since human individuals carry out activities that are qualitatively different from biological ones - labor and thinking, it is necessary to conclude the existence of a social substance that is qualitatively different from the biological body.
In social existence as the total existence of individuals there is universal, generic, characteristic of the life process of the entire mass of individuals. However, the identification of social being with the universal significantly impoverishes its content and deprives the life process of individuals of integrity. At the same time, everything proper is essentially eliminated from the content of social being. individual, inherent in the existence of individuals, all the diversity of their destinies. In reality, the real life process of individuals is unity of the generic and the individual.
Social existence also has as its substance a system of material components - objects created by people, primarily means of labor. However, the sign of sociality cannot be attributed equally to individuals and material elements of society. The last essence transformed natural components of the social. The objectivity of social existence means that it exists independently of consciousness (individual and social), defines his.
Social consciousness in a broad sense, it is a set of ideas, views, perceptions, theories, feelings, illusions, misconceptions of society, i.e. social consciousness. As the consciousness of society, its subject is nature, society and man. In a narrow sense, social consciousness is reflection social existence, its awareness. It reflects, first of all, society and man. At the same time, it also reflects the most general aspects of the world (philosophy), since their awareness depends on social existence. Social consciousness expresses the degree to which a person is aware of the world around him, of his own essence and the meaning of existence. Therefore, the history of the development of social consciousness is the history of man’s consistent penetration into the essence and meaning of his existence.
From the standpoint of scientific philosophy, human existence has meaning in itself, it has no goal outside of it, it itself is the highest goal. The more complex and richer human life is, the more complex its meaning. It is created by a person creating his own, previously non-existent existence. To create one’s own existence is at the same time to create good for humanity, to fight for the human, its preservation and increase. The Austrian psychologist W. Frankl believes that human life has meaning because a person initially, V the power of your nature, aimed at creation and values. At the same time, the creative person perceives reality positively, and the adapting person - negatively105. The adaptation mechanism, as defined by E. Fromm, is “escape from reality.” It allows you to relieve mental stress, but not to find the meaning of life, because by refusing the anxiety caused by reality, a person gives up his own individuality. Life becomes meaningful if individuals are oriented towards the principle of “being”. Meanwhile, in modern society, an orientation towards possession, or, in other words, the attitude of “having” has become widespread.
1. Concepts of nature and essence of man.
2. The relationship between the natural and the social in man.
3. Man, individual, personality.
1. The nature and essence of man, related concepts. Nature can be understood in two senses: as the origin of man; and as a set of essential traits that a person is endowed with at birth. The first understanding of nature is associated with various concepts anthropogenesis(human origin). The second meaning of this concept makes it identical to the concept innate essence.
Essence human - a philosophical concept that denotes the characteristics of a person that distinguish him from other forms of being, or his natural properties, to one degree or another inherent in all people.
By Aristotle The essence of a person is those of his properties that cannot be changed so that he does not cease to be himself.
The essential properties of a person include: rationality, will, higher feelings, ability to communicate, work and creativity.
2. Human cognition is related to biosocial problem understanding its essence. It lies in the fact that the essence of man is dual, combining natural and social principles.
Natural (biological) origin lies in human anatomy and physiology. It affects: gender, life expectancy, characteristics of sensory and rational cognition (mental inclinations and characteristics), ability to work, speech, etc.
The natural beginning of man in philosophy is associated with the concept body. U ancient Greeks the body was a container souls– the essential basis of consciousness and intelligence. Within pantheism everything in the world has sensitivity and intelligence. The soul in the body is also “distributed” evenly. Therefore, it was thought of as a single, integral “organ of thinking.” In this regard, the Greeks paid great attention to physical exercise and body condition (“in a healthy body, a healthy mind”). IN middle Ages, the body is a mortal shell. It is the sinful beginning of all a person’s thoughts that distract him from fulfilling God’s will. IN Renaissance there is a return to the idea of harmonious development of personality. The body is a work of art. IN New time the body is a tool to achieve a goal. IN non-classical philosophy And psychology body, the basis of the biological principle and associated instincts, needs, subconscious and irrational processes.
Taken together, the biological principle is natural human powers- an opportunity and a necessary condition for existence in the world. Natural forces vary from person to person and are determined and transmitted genetically. They are not limitless. Throughout life, the subject experiences peaks and valleys of his vital natural forces, which is noted in his activity and physical condition.
Social beginning includes the ability to think, communicate, practice, creativity, and the desire to live in society. In fact, the social principle influences the formation of all the basic essential characteristics of a person and actually makes him a person.
The social essence of man was noted by ancient Greek philosophers. Subsequently, right up to the New Age, the essential characteristics associated with the social principle were interpreted idealistically, through categories souls And god.Philosophers Enlightenment again turned to the social essence of man . IN German classical philosophy the dialectical unity of the historical development of personality and society was emphasized . A real understanding of the meaning of the social in the essence of man is associated with the emergence and development in the second half of the 19th century sociology And social psychology.
The social principle is presented in its entirety social forces of man– ability to acquire skills of social life, formation of will and structure personalities.
Thus, the natural principle is a necessary condition for life: general physical health, the ability to walk upright, developed brain structure, speech apparatus, etc. Thanks to the social principle, the initial biological characteristics allow a person to become different from other living beings and their own kind.
In the history of science, three approaches to determining the relationship between the natural and the social in man have emerged:
1) biologizing(naturalistic) approach. Within the framework of this approach, it is believed that natural subjective qualities have a decisive role in the process of human life. For example, psychoanalytic theory Z. Freud. The basis of human behavior is the subconscious adherence to innate instincts: eros (the attraction to love) and tonatos (the attraction to death). English anthropologist and psychologist F. Galton believed that human behavior is causally determined by heredity. This thesis was followed by the racist views of the researcher. F. Galton is the founder eugenics– the doctrine that selection is applicable to humans, as well as ways to improve his hereditary properties;
2) sociologizing(sociocentric) approach. This approach is based on the idea of the prevalence of the social essence of man. Society determines and corrects a person’s behavior, will and worldview. This approach includes social utopias (T. Mohr, T. Campanella and etc.), Marxism;
3) biosocial an approach. Avoids the extremes inherent in the first two approaches. It is based on the idea of the dialectical unity of biological and social principles in man. Within the framework of this approach, most modern philosophical, sociological and psychological concepts of personality are developed.
3. To understand the nature and essence of man as an integral phenomenon in which the natural and social principles are dialectically connected, the following categories are necessary: individual, individuality, personality.
Individual– a person as a living being with innate individual characteristics.
Individuality– a set of innate physiological and psychological characteristics of a person that influence his development.
Personality– a relatively stable and holistic system of social qualities that characterize a given individual, acquired and developed in the process of life, interaction with other people and are a product of social development.
How are these concepts related? The individual contains all the potential given to a person from birth - his natural beginning. Individuality inherited from parents is developed in the process socialization– the progressive process of an individual’s assimilation of patterns of behavior, psychological attitudes, social norms and values, knowledge, and skills that allow him to function successfully in society.
Personality is the result of the development of an individual, the manifestation of his social forces. Individual traits at a new level become personality traits and characteristics. Therefore, despite the fact that personality is a product of social development, it is unique. The uniqueness of personality lies not only in the preservation and development of individual traits, but also in memory And experience. A person's memory and experience lie at the core of his unique spiritual world.
Conclusion: man is a complex phenomenon, the nature and essence of which lies in the unity of biological and social principles. A person developing, initially as an individual, in the process of socialization becomes a person with all the essential characteristics inherent in him: rationality, will, higher feelings, the ability to communicate, work and creativity.
Social essence of man
Arisova Anastasia M-10-1
The definition of the essence of man is inseparable from disputes about his origin. The problem of man has been a subject of debate and a mystery that has worried the minds of sages, artists, thinkers, and scientists of all times. "What is a person?" was and still is one of the main questions of philosophy. Karl Marx, a German philosopher, considered the essence of man in the totality of social relations that form a person’s different attitude to the world in different historical periods.
Human nature is dual. Firstly, man is the result of biological evolution, and secondly, a product of the development of society. Man is a biological being, since he is part of living nature, his brain and body are the result of the activity of nature; a person has biological needs - to breathe, sleep, eat, etc., and also has instincts. Man is a social being, since he can suppress his instincts, he has articulate speech, the ability to think, abilities and skills that are formed in society. A person cannot live without society; he cannot imagine himself outside of it. That is, man is a biosocial being. It is physiological and psychological characteristics that influence the development of a person’s skills and abilities. However, every natural predisposition of a person is realized in social (public) circumstances. For the formation of a person as a member of society, the conditions in which it takes place are important.
Man as a personality. Social qualities and properties of a person are most often determined by the concept of “personality”. What is personality? Personality is an individual endowed with social qualities acquired in the process of socialization. A person is not born, but becomes one in society through interactions with other people through the receipt and acquisition of various social qualities.
In science, personality is considered from 2 sides: role expectations - what is expected from a particular role of an individual, and role behavior - what a person actually performs within the framework of his role. On the one hand, a person as an individual is considered by comparing him with the norms and rules established in society. On the other hand, personality is viewed through a set of roles. A person is capable and must perform different roles at the same time - for example, the role of an employee, a family man, a citizen, etc. A personality performs various actions, shows itself, and manifests itself in social actions. The set of roles (functions) and their implementation are associated with the social, social structure, and with the individual skills and qualities of the person himself. For example, under a clan system, relationships in a family require unconditional submission to elders and a strict delineation of economic functions associated with traditions and customs. And in modern society, family members are required to be ready for equal interaction, care, love, mutual understanding, etc.
In its role manifestations, the personality is formed, develops, improves, and changes. It is the person who has the personality, and not the personality itself, that loves, hates, gets angry, fights, is sad, acts, and yearns. Through the personality, only in his own way, forming his activities and relationships, the individual appears as a Man.
In addition to the external conditions of a person’s behavior in society, the implementation of his various social connections and the development of social qualities, a person’s self-awareness and self-realization are important.
Self-awareness is most often understood as a person’s complete understanding of himself as an individual, his meaning, his role in life and society. That is, a person is able to make his own decisions and enter into certain relationships with other people and nature. Self-realization is understood as the process of the most complete identification, development and implementation by a person of his personal capabilities and achievement of his goals. For example, Henry Ford, the legendary businessman of the 20th century, who was obsessed with the goal of creating a car accessible to everyone, and made his dream come true. Currently, the company he created is the fourth largest in the world in terms of car production over the entire period of its existence. Abraham Maslow, an American scientist, believed that the need for self-realization is one of the highest human needs.
