Cilvēks socioloģijas skatījumā

Sociology as a science of human life in society analyses interaction and mutual
influence of society and an individual. Human nature, although an important
topic of Western philosophical, social and political debate, has not undergone
sufficient theoretical and methodological research in sociology. At the beginning
of the development of sociology, discussions about human nature covered a wider
range of research topics, later focusing mainly on an individual as a more or less
active part of the social system. This means a virtually continuous discussion of
the relationship between an individual and the team or agent.
This article provides an insight into the most important sociological paradigms, emphasising their connection with the interpretation of human nature.
The presentation of the topic uses the classical division of sociological theories
at the macro and micro levels in chronological order to illuminate their different
views on human nature. The structure of the article is based on the so-called
theories of social order, which simultaneously reflect the influence of social
structures on an individual’s choices and their responsibility in constructing
social reality.
In the perspective of sociological theories, human nature is described not
only as a duality but as a result of the interaction of various factors. At different
times, the individual or society has come to the forefront, but the sociological
input to the study of human nature has been related to analysis of the interaction and relationship between the individual and society. Focusing on social and
cultural determinism, the classical discourse of sociological science has often
ignored biological and psychological factors in characterisation of human nature.
Among the discussed theoretical perspectives, the author’s sympathies
belong to the micro-level approach to social reality or analysis of any particular
individual perspective. While agreeing with Karl Marx’s ideas about the ability
of each individual to express themselves creatively (which is an essential part
of human nature), it must be acknowledged that economic, political and social
constraints lead to inequality, stigmatisation and alienation in society. The role
of sociology as a science is to identify and describe the limiting factors, as well as
to develop proposals for social reforms. Modern sociology simultaneously faces
the challenge and an opportunity of developing an integrated and interdisciplinary view of different aspects of human nature, considering diversity and variability of social life.