Since the advent of sociology, scientists have regarded society as the sphere of activity of social groups and entire classes, which have become the main "unit" of historical development. The Russian philosopher and sociologist P.L. Lavrov, who put the personality at the center of the consideration of the science of society, which served as the beginning of the subjectivist school in sociology.
"Historical Letters" by P. Lavrov: The Origin of Subjectivism in Sociology
The ideas that laid the foundation for the subjective trend in sociology were first expressed by Peter Lavrov in his Historical Letters. Paying 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 Lavrov's Historical Letters is a personality. It was her author who considered the bearer of moral ideals and the force that has the ability to change social forms of life. Lavrov believed that the personality, being a subjective factor in social development, bears full responsibility for the progressive movement of society in the direction of progress.
The formula of social progress in Lavrov’s interpretation was as follows: society’s progress is the development of an individual in a moral, mental and physical sense, embodied in a social form of justice and truth. Such a formulation made the person with its subjective perception of reality the main driving force of society.
