當前全球社會學界在理論和方法論上最熱門的主題，很明顯地「方法論關係主義」（methodological relationalism）、「關係轉向」（relational turn）和「關係社會學」（relational sociology）的討論是最多人參與且居於最核心的位置。這可從各種以關係社會學、關係性視角（relational perspective）、關係性進路（relational approach）為名的專書、出版系列、學術研討會、期刊專號和專文，以及最重要的在社會學理論傳統中各派別從關係主義視角再詮釋的系譜看出。儘管如此，在多位學者眼裡在這門學科中它依舊還不是主流，現今的社會學依舊還是由實體主義（substantialism）宰制著社會學想像。在許多位學者的論證中，西方思想無論是自然科學的數、時間、空間等基本概念，或是資訊時代的核心元素：「資訊」概念，以及經濟活動中所使用的貨幣等，都顯現一種從亞里士多德以來以「實體」的方式理解逐漸轉向以「功能」的方式解釋。社會學在這種時代的大潮流當中也不例外，我們檢視社會學史當中社會學理論傳統中各種不同派別，都有多人陸續轉變改以關係主義的視角再詮釋的系譜來看，在社會學學科內主張「關係轉向」的陣營很顯然地是在快速擴大中。那麼「方法論關係主義」的社會學，究竟和傳統居於主導地位的「方法論實體主義」的社會學有何不同？本文集中在「實體主義」和「關係主義」在本體論上的基本預設有何差異，首先從機器形式與社會形式的關係討論起，並進而探討三組問題：第一組核心主題是實體本體論與功能本體論的基本區分；第二組：獨立存在vs相互制約；第三組是主體第一性（人本主義、人類中心主義）及其批判。從這些論題延伸到人與自然的關係、人與他人的關係和人與自己的關係等面向來申論。

The issues of “methodological relationalism”, “relational turn” and “relational sociology” have been discussed and become the most popular topics in theory and methodology in the contemporary academy of sociology. A variety of books, publications, academic conferences, journals and articles named after relational sociology, relational perspectives and relational approaches. Mostly, the pedigrees of various factions in traditional sociological theory have been reinterpreted from the perspective of relationalism. However, in the eyes of many scholars, relationalism is still not mainstream in sociology. The sociological imaginations are still dominated by substantialism. In the arguments of many scholars, the fundamental concepts of number, time, and space of the natural sciences, or the concept of “information” of the information age and the currency used in economic activities, all have gradually turned to “function” way rather than Aristotle's “substance” approach of interpretation. Sociology is no exception in the trend of the times. When we examine the various approaches of sociological theories in the history of sociology, quite a few scholars have gradually changed and reinterpreted the genealogy from the perspective of relationalism. The sociological “relational turn” is clearly expanding rapidly. Then what is the difference between “methodological relationalism” and traditionally dominant “methodological substantialism” in sociology? This article will focus only on the differences of ontological presuppositions of substantialism and relationalism. The discussion begins with the relationship between forms of machine and society, and then examines three sets of issues: The first core themes is distinction between substantial ontology and functional ontology; the second theme is the independent existence vs mutual restriction; the third is the subjectivity (humanism, anthropocentrism) and its criticism. These topics are extended to the relationship between man and nature, man and others, and the relationship between man and himself.