COMPOSITION OF KINSHIP AND SYSTEM OF RELATIONS (on a Social Constituent of Human Essence)

The issue of human essence is addressed. To be more accurate, the issue of its social constituent. It is related, so the author, to two other constituents, a natural one and an existential one, and does not always dominate in endeavors of an individual’s self. The starting point of discussions is a thesis advanced by K. Marx with a relational (appellation to the system of relations) approach to the interpretation of an essential characteristic of human being found in his works. By critically taking this attitude as an exhaustive one, the author ranks public relations as those of a lower range compared to kinship. It is exactly the kinship as a valuable positive spontaneity that differs both from totality, and a comprehensive system of relations mediated a priori is deemed a nucleus of a human essence’s social constituent. However, it’s unfeasible to extrapolate kinship to all sociality of a human being. As a rule, it’s exactly in relations that an individual has with the public. G. Bataille’s attempt of sanctifying relations is assessed ambivalently. Only perceiving the “sacral sociology” without unconditional hegemony of relationalism and mediation provides adherence to the kinship idea and its thorough understanding. The author states and explains a paradoxical composition of the kinship and system of relations – a composition forming the sociality of a human being.

human essence, social constituent of human essence, system of relations, totality, kinship, K. Marx, G. Bataille, “sacral sociology”