Abstract

Plato claims that man and state are like the same text –written in “small” or “big” letters. The ontological thesis: man and state have the same essence. The methodological thesis: there are two methods of “reading” the text about man and state. The ontological claim is wrong, but the methodological approach is correct, however it implies the different ontology than one considered by Plato. In a sense Plato’s remark anticipates the modern theoretical controversy between methodological individualism and methodological collectivism.Karol Wojtyła’s critique of the alternative: individualism or collectivism takes into
account the historical context in which occurs alienation. He develops the understanding of alienation in terms of the philosophy of the human person and proposes the practical ways of acting against alienation. The principle of participation is the basiccategory in his social ethics. Wojtyła in his analysis of contemporary society is concerned with the normative aspect thereof. Participation consists in the fulfilment of the value of person while co-existing and co-acting together with the others. He offers the significant reinterpretation of the Marxist diagnosis of alienation, in his view alienation is opposed to participation. Margaret Archer seeks to develop the realistic social theory, which implies the correct ontology and is also capable to be applied as the effective tools in the sociological research. The morphogenetic / morphostatic theory overcomes the non-temporal ontology, which is assumed both by methodological individualism and methodological holism. Considering the temporal dimensions in the social transformation enables to present the process of transformation in accordance with the time sequences. Analysis of the time factor establishes the methodological dualism, deprived of any kind of conflation in the account of structure and agency,for it is based on the pluralistic ontology, according to which agency is understood to be property of individuals and property of the structures.