Avalyan, S. A. Individual and Society: Two Different Approaches (Experience in Interpretation of Edward Tiryakian’s Theory)

Abstract: All the variety of social theories can be conditionally divided into the two groups depending on what they view as the priority. There have been social philosophers who base their theories on the main provision that the main value is the society but not an individual or personality. Such philosophers believed that the entire social organization may break down if we give free rein to particular personalities. This was the same reason why Plato was so concerned about an ‘established order’ which should be followed by people in his ‘ideal state’. However, there are social philosophers, mostly existential ones, who put personality but not society in the 􀏔irst place. They believe that the history is made by personalities. The author of the present article compares these two approaches and describes positive and negative sides of both. The author bases his research on the methodology of social philosophy and methods of analysis of social dynamics mechanisms. At the same time, the author also applies methods of philosophical anthropology. The novelty of the article is in describing a fundamental different of the above mentioned two approaches based, in particular, on researches of a famous American sociologist Edward Tiryakian. At the same time, the author also tries to describe the main trends in modern social philosophy and social studies. She underlines that rights of an individual and society can be fully recovered only by the common efforts of both social studies and philosophy.

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