The social life of animals as perceived by Russian sociologists: P.L. Lavrov and N.I. Kareev

Abstract

The interdisciplinary tradition of studying social life in Russian sociology, initiated by P.L. Lavrov and critically conceptualized by N.I. Kareev, is described in this article. It is shown that Lavrov’s views on the social life of animals were largely determined by his socio-political worldview, the dominant ofwhich was the idea of an active, critically thinking person as the main factor in social progress. Kareev’s position with regard to the sociological potential of “animal sociology” was marked by pronounced skepticism. It’s worth noting that Kareev accomplished a clear and well-grounded demarcation of human sociality, conducted along the line of social institutions. To a certain degree this tradition resonates with today’s increasing interest towards bio-social issues presented in the field of Human-Animal Studies. Actually, one could say that we are witnessing a reemergence, on a new conceptual and ethical level, of data on the emotional, mental and social life of animals, which was quite comprehensively and deeply understood in Russian sociology.