The phenomenon of human alienation: socio-ontological aspect

Abstract

This article is dedicated to one of the key problems of social philosophy – the phenomenon of human alienation. The subject of this research is the ontological grounds of alienation. The goal consists in determination of the existential foundation of alienation as a complicated socio-ontological phenomenon, as well as differentiation of the narrow and broad sense of the concept of “alienation”. In the narrow sense, alienation implies the process, when the products of human activity and activity itself obtain the status of autonomous agents opposing to human. In a broad sense, alienation is interpreted as an ontological distinction within the structure of being. For revealing the ontological grounds of alienation, the author attracts and reconsiders the ideological arsenal of philosophical anthropology, fundamental ontology, existentialism, personalism, Marxism, and post-phenomenology. The ontological interpretation allows comprehending the anthropogenesis, historical development of human, and evolution of human mind in the context of the terms of alienation. Thus, the first is interpreted as a self-alienation of the world; the second – as alienation of human from himself; and the third – as an ideal of appeal of the world towards itself, realized through human spiritual activity. All elements of the triad form an ontological basis doe alienation in the narrow sense.