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Individual and Societal Interests: From Economic Sociodynamics to Relativist Methodology
https://doi.org/10.30727/0235-1188-2025-68-3-10-37
Abstract
The article presents a critical analysis of the evolution of the theory of Economic Sociodynamics over the last quarter-century, framed within contemporary interdisciplinary scholarship. The author argues that Economic Sociodynamics and its subsequent developments are underpinned by a foundational premise: that the public interest is irreducible to the mere aggregation of individual preferences. This perspective allows the legacy of Economic Sociodynamics to be understood as a body of thought that substantially broadens the traditional boundaries of economic analysis and provides a compelling alternative to prevailing models. The theoretical findings from the period 2000–2025 are further substantiated by insights from contemporary philosophy and theoretical sociology. This synthesis has enabled the author to transcend the long-standing dichotomy between methodological individualism and holism, introducing the principle of methodological relativism into scholarly debate. Drawing upon an analysis of key relativist doctrines – including cultural and conceptual relativism, social constructivism, and postmodernism – the article articulates the core tenets of this methodology. At its core, this methodology treats individual interests and the state’s autonomous interests as coequal, rejecting the a priori primacy of either and requiring context-dependent analysis. The application of this relativist methodology, combined with the recognition of the state’s autonomous interest, has opened new avenues for reconceptualizing the state itself. The study advances a new paradigm in which the state is defined as a complex social entity functioning as a meta-system comprising “political authority – economy – civil society.” The article concludes that the tension between individual and societal interests should be understood not as a dichotomy but as a design problem: constructing a balanced structure wherein these diverse interests operate as interconnected and integral components of a unified social whole.
About the Author
Alexander Ya. Rubinstein
Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexander Ya. Rubinstein – D.Sc. in Philosophy, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Head of the Department “Theoretical Economics” at the Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences.
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Rubinstein A.Ya. Individual and Societal Interests: From Economic Sociodynamics to Relativist Methodology. Russian Journal of Philosophical Sciences. 2025;68(3):10-37. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30727/0235-1188-2025-68-3-10-37
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