Human Individuality As a Relevant Factor in Moral Development. Critical Reflection on Jan Szczepański’s Conception of Individuality Being the Alternative Sociological Point of View of Morality.

Reflecting on the moral issue in a contemporary, individualized society makes us rethink its group nature and human individuality's role in fighting the negative consequences of the systematic organization of collective life. This presentation attempts to use the conception of human individuality by Jan Szczepański, which is absent in mainstream sociological reflection, alluding to the moral dimension of human life. In some sense, it takes an alternative point of view on human morality issues that can be used to criticize contemporary individualism. Presenting the conception of individuality highlights a few sources of evil and human suffering: 1) evil generated by human activities that disturb normative order (norms, commandments, rules, etc.), 2) evil in a figure of pain and suffering that has a reason in other behavior according to applicable rules (inequality access to relevant resources), 3) evil having the reason in intentional action, according to state or religion laws (for example warfare) 4) evil resulting from the laws of nature - any disasters that we have not been able to avoid, 5) metaphysical evil reflected a limitation of human capabilities: cognitive, behavior, etc. (Szczepański 244-245). Those different sources and forms of badness and human suffering Szczepański brings individual evil (done knowingly or not) and evil made common. Last is the subject connected to the reflection on human individuality and its role in countering badness.

The paper emphasizes individuality's positive function in human morality's development process and in solving social issues as the effect of nonintentional consequences of collective life and beyond the mainstream sources of reflection on individuality. It allows a critical review of cultural individualism and its social problems. This conception born the need to rethink the issue of human freedom and independence in an individualized society, simultaneously showing a moral facet of human individuality (source of pro-community attitudes).