The principle of subjectivity was formulated for the first time in ancient Eastern philosophy. Almost all thinkers considered the individual as a unique being, the highest value.
Naturalistic approach
The concept of “subjectivity ” was considered by the ancients through simple and complex aspects. The former corresponded to the structure of a "clean slate", the latter - innate behavior. The naturalistic approach does not deny the development of subjectivity . With a simple model, its formation takes place in the form of records, with a complex one - through a conditioned-reflex idea.
Middle Ages
In this era, the category in question has received an expanded interpretation. Medieval thinkers pointed out that subjectivity is the foundation of the individual, which, on the one hand, is determined by the Creator, transmitting knowledge and initiating the mind, on the other hand, his thinking. The meaning of life was represented in the comprehension of the divine. Medieval philosophers paid more attention to the inner world of the individual. As a result, the prerequisites were formulated for the separation of man from the natural world and its gradual opposition.
Philosophy of New Time
With the advent of civilization to a new level, the subjectivity of the individual began to be considered in a qualitatively new aspect. God ceased to be considered a direct participant in the formation of the world and the individual. Man, like the space surrounding him, was seen as the result of a long evolution. At the same time, his rationality was recognized as the key quality of the individual. Kant in his work has significantly expanded the range of issues related to subjectivity. He recognized, in particular, the existence of an opposition category. The object acts as it. According to Kant, the subject is a source of a priori ideas, categories and the ability of reason. The object he called what all of these forms can relate to.
Features
Subjectivity as a personal quality was first considered by Hegel. He interpreted it as a certainty, identical with being. Moreover, in the existing definitions, the characteristics of subjectivity are given from different aspects. First of all, in terms of constancy of quality, this category is unchanged in time. Secondly, human subjectivity was considered in relation to property. According to Hegel, the loss of a sign does not change things, but when the quality changes, the object itself changes. The third aspect of understanding is the consideration of subjectivity as a system of properties. Fourth - through correlations with the qualities of other objects.
Existentialism
This is the direction of philosophy, the key idea of which was the appeal of the individual to his own self. In the framework of existentialism, human subjectivity was associated with the awareness of their consciousness. As Kierkegaard (one of the adherents of the theory) pointed out, in order to realize the true nature, an individual must leave society and appear before God. Moreover, he must go through 3 stages of existence:
- Aesthetic.
- Ethical.
- Religious.
It will depend on the individual whether he will be able to realize his attitude to subjectivity.
Works J.-P. Sartra
The author reveals subjectivity in two aspects. On the one hand, the individual chooses himself. In the second aspect, a person is not able to go beyond the boundaries of subjectivity. Sartre insists on last position. A person always invents, invents himself and his values. There will be no meaning in life until the individual lives and realizes it. It follows from this that man is the center of the world. But he is not inside, but outside of himself. He is in constant motion into the future, striving into the unknown. For everything he does, he is responsible. Striving for his freedom, a person reveals a dependence on someone else's, limiting it. Choosing himself, the individual formulates the image as a whole. The emerging limitedness is recorded in specific acts, their totality, and in life in general. We can say that the existence of a person in an alienated complex of social relations was a key topic in existentialism. Followers of the theory indicated that the individual is doomed to freedom if he does not want to die spiritually. Man and the world have a future only if the subject finds the strength to live and create.
Personalism
The ideas of this philosophical trend were developed by Shestov, Lossky, Berdyaev. In the framework of personalism, the idea was put forward of the divinity of the person, its irreducibility to natural and social signs. Society was represented as a collection of individuals. According to Berdyaev, a person considers himself primarily as a subject. The mystery of the individual is revealed in his inner existence. In the objectification of man, it closes. The individual learns about himself only that which is alienated from his inner existence. It does not belong to the entire objective world, but has its own space, destiny incommensurable with nature. In the works of Lossky, central importance is attached to the fact that the manifestations of the subjectivity of the student are purely individual. The bearer of organic unity is a "substantial figure." Moreover, according to Lossky, he does not act as a person, but as some of its potency. It expresses the creative, active principle of the world, which is embedded directly in its substance. Personalism considers the personality and the individual. The latter exists within the complex interweaving of social interactions. He submits to the changes that are taking place in the world. It is this that prevents the expression of the self of the individual. The person, in turn, realizing the will, asserts itself. She overcomes social barriers and the finiteness of life.
findings
Analyzing various philosophical trends, it can be noted that subjectivity is a category that relates to various aspects of life. When considering it, the issues of individual freedom, his will, consciousness are investigated. In this case, a person is given the choice of "himself" or the one that formulates the world for him. It follows from this that the formation of subjectivity occurs through the creation of one's consciousness.
Postmodern Theories
They blur the boundaries between classes, nationalities, social institutions. Within the framework of theories, the world is represented as an abstract society. The pillar is individuality. Since there is no solid set of values, there is no relation to them. In such conditions, the value of individuality is also lost. Many researchers believe that the subject is destroyed under such circumstances. To survive, he needs to either become an opportunist and accept the world as it is, or remain a person at least at an emotional level. When studying this category, American philosophers pay special attention to freedom issues. They support the view that subjectivity is an element of the conflict of power and people. The individual is fighting for freedom, trying to change or destroy the foundations and create a new set of values. A person exists in constant confrontation with an ever-changing world. Accordingly, subjectivity is a constantly transformed category.
Common symptoms
The subject in philosophy is a source of knowledge and a change in reality. He is a carrier of activity, carrying out a transformation in himself and other people. The subject is a holistic, goal-oriented, free and developing creature that perceives, among other things, the world around it. He is considered in philosophy from two sides. First of all, an assessment is carried out as part of opposing its object. On the other hand, the subjectivity of activity is analyzed to describe the general level of organization of society. In a philosophical definition, it is considered as a reflective self-awareness as a physiological individual who has commonality with other representatives of civilization, as a member of society. Subjectivity is the basis for characterizing an individual. Being born, he does not have any qualities. In the course of its development, a person becomes a subject when he enters the system of social interactions.
Psychological science
The analysis of subjectivity can be performed based on the historically established logic of studying the category of "subject". The individual or group acts as it as a source of research and transformation of reality. Rubinstein singled out the concept of the subject as a philosophical category designating the immanent source of human activity (according to Hegel). In his works, an appropriate approach to the construction of methodological directions was developed. In particular, it begins with an analysis of "activity" and ends with the formulation of the problem of its subject. Moreover, Rubinstein opposed the consideration of the relationship of these categories as a purely external phenomenon. In the activity he saw the conditions for the formation and subsequent development of the subject. An individual not only transforms an object according to his goal, but also acts in a different quality of its achievement. In this case, both he and the object change.
Other approaches
According to Leontiev, it is necessary to talk about a subject that realizes its own relationships in the totality of activities. He noted that the key task of psychological research is the analysis of the process of unification, the binding of the individual’s activity. As a result of various activities, a personality is created. In turn, its analysis requires a special approach. In particular, it is necessary to study the subject activity of the subject, mediated by the processes of consciousness, connecting individual activities with each other. Brushlinsky pointed out that in the course of growing up in an individual’s life self-knowledge and self-upbringing are allotted more and more. Accordingly, internal conditions through which external factors of influence are expressed become priority.
Of the concept
The Rubinstein idea formulated a methodological basis for the study of subjectivity. She was concretized in his scientific school. In the concept, a person is considered primarily as an author, director, actor in his life. Each individual has his own story. He creates it on his own through changing himself. Attention is focused on actively transforming activities, its subjective properties. A similar position is taken by Yakimanskaya. It indicates that subjectivity is an acquired, created property. However, it exists due to the existing activity of the individual. Moreover, it crystallizes in the student’s potencies.
Petrovsky's research
In his writings, a new human image is formulated. The individual overcomes the barriers of his own natural and social limitations. The author rejects the established and dominant view of man as an adaptive being endowed with a specific goal and striving for it. The idea proposed by Petrovsky made it possible to substantially rethink the process of formation of individual properties and express it in terms of self-activity. The personality was presented as an independently developing system. In the orbit of her activity, she included other people as the owners of their ideal continuity and representation. In a conceptual model of the formation of subjectivity, the scientist combined the moments of active non-adaptability and its reflection in people. Petrovsky was able to show that the reproduction and generation of oneself forms a single complex of self-valuable activity. In the transitions of virtual, returned, reflected subjectivity, a person is free, holistic. Petrovsky sees the essence of self-generation as being in that capacity in the future, returning to himself with going beyond his own limits.
What is the difference between human subjectivity and subjectivity?
The devaluation of the ideas of the formation of individual qualities over the past decades of the 20th century was stopped by a new interpretation. The phenomenon of subjectivity has firmly entered into science. It was presented as a special form of integrity. It included manifestations of the properties of the individual as a subject of attitude to the world, objective perception, communication and self-awareness. In all cases when the authors use the category in question, they have in mind a certain quality, a certain potential of the individual to implement certain behavioral acts. Subjectivity, in turn, is seen as a mechanism for its practical implementation. It cannot be realized in the absence of potential. Subjectivity can exist without subjectivity. For example, this is the case when the voter puts a tick in front of someone’s surname at random or the counterparty signs an agreement without reading its terms.