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The Social Thought of Georg Simmel
This new volume of the SAGE Social Thinkers series, The Social Thought of Georg Simmel provides a concise introduction to the work, life, and influences of Georg Simmel. Horst J. Helle closely examines the writings and ideas of Simmel that introduced a new way of looking at culture and society and helped establish sociology’s place among the academic fields. The book focuses on the key intellectual concerns of Simmel, including the process of individualization, religion, private and family life, cities, and modernization. It is ideal for use as a self-contained volume or in conjunction with other sociological theory books.
117 pages, Unknown Binding
First published March 18, 2014
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October 11, 2016
This is not a particularly well-written text, but I can see why it might be included in a classroom setting, so that students might get a glimpse of the thought of one of the founders of sociology. It is simply organized and each chapter ends with a few questions that might be discussed in class. For me, it's a way to get some insight into the thought/writings of Simmel, since I had previously come across him in another volume (which I have not yet finished reading). For any of these authors, though, I've come to the conclusion that it is difficult for me to evaluate or grasp some of the concepts, since I did not study some of the thinkers they critique, so I am not familiar with concepts they are talking about. Thus, I need to start with "baby steps" and find out about authors they agree or disagree with, so that I can understand them (authors such as Simmel).
Anyway, this volume was interesting nonetheless. I took a lot of notes, and hope to continue to read up on these topics - in my own somewhat random way. I appreciated most of what Simmel said, but I can't compare it or evaluate it in comparison with other thinkers, if I'm not familiar with them. Simmel was a guy who tried to understand all of reality, insofar as it is possible to understand it - what drives people to do things, what is society, and so forth. He wrote prolifically - though it seems much of his work was never translated into English. It would be interesting to find out about various thinkers' theories about humanity, society and so forth, because otherwise it's as if we're living in a world of impressions or shadows, and never see the truth. Perhaps it would be painful to understand or see what does drive existence - perhaps that is why people would rather be distracted constantly with the day-to-day humdrum ephemeral world of attitudes, superficial styles, gossip, impressions, hearsay. Still, there are thinkers who have tried to create a system or explain social reality by means of a system of thought, and it is interesting to find out what each one has come up with.
Simmel thought that the collective life of humankind is reflected in the individual experiences of the person. He disagreed with Kant's belief in a rational foundation for ethics. He had an optimistic and evolutionary approach toward life. Simmel discussed the ambivalence of individualization: It frees the person from collective pressure (e.g. church/organized religion) but also leads to more insecurity. Individualization is perhaps the whole point of life: Developing to the fullest the innate potential of each person. Individualization is the decisive trait of modernism, according to Simmel. Simmel thought that how people appear in interactions with others depends on how they cultivate their independent, individual existence. Society consists of conscious individuals whose intellectual constructs create a unity, both within the individual and also as an immediate reality of society. For example, people are members of the working class only to the extent that they consider themselves members of the working class. Consciousness co-determines social reality. Simmel thought that one's calling fulfills one's destiny. He thought highly of the courageous "outsider" or "stranger" who was willing to sacrifice popularity in order to fulfill themselves as an individual. The social construction of reality. Kant: Humans make themselves believe we actually observe images of things we create for ourselves, e.g. "nature" (?categories, concepts). Money and socialism as alternative means for dealing with modernization (he who has money does not need socialism). Simmel: The cry for equality = pair of crutches on which the demand for liberty came limping in. Once liberty is established, it can stand on its own strong legs, equality is no longer needed. So there are ideas espoused by Simmel that are thought-provoking. I certainly do not agree with some of what he said.
This may be a useful volume for students to read in a sociology class, given that Simmel is considered one of the founders of sociology and not all of his work is translated into English. I didn't think it was particularly well-written, but it did communicate Simmel's thoughts on various topics usually with clarity.
Anyway, this volume was interesting nonetheless. I took a lot of notes, and hope to continue to read up on these topics - in my own somewhat random way. I appreciated most of what Simmel said, but I can't compare it or evaluate it in comparison with other thinkers, if I'm not familiar with them. Simmel was a guy who tried to understand all of reality, insofar as it is possible to understand it - what drives people to do things, what is society, and so forth. He wrote prolifically - though it seems much of his work was never translated into English. It would be interesting to find out about various thinkers' theories about humanity, society and so forth, because otherwise it's as if we're living in a world of impressions or shadows, and never see the truth. Perhaps it would be painful to understand or see what does drive existence - perhaps that is why people would rather be distracted constantly with the day-to-day humdrum ephemeral world of attitudes, superficial styles, gossip, impressions, hearsay. Still, there are thinkers who have tried to create a system or explain social reality by means of a system of thought, and it is interesting to find out what each one has come up with.
Simmel thought that the collective life of humankind is reflected in the individual experiences of the person. He disagreed with Kant's belief in a rational foundation for ethics. He had an optimistic and evolutionary approach toward life. Simmel discussed the ambivalence of individualization: It frees the person from collective pressure (e.g. church/organized religion) but also leads to more insecurity. Individualization is perhaps the whole point of life: Developing to the fullest the innate potential of each person. Individualization is the decisive trait of modernism, according to Simmel. Simmel thought that how people appear in interactions with others depends on how they cultivate their independent, individual existence. Society consists of conscious individuals whose intellectual constructs create a unity, both within the individual and also as an immediate reality of society. For example, people are members of the working class only to the extent that they consider themselves members of the working class. Consciousness co-determines social reality. Simmel thought that one's calling fulfills one's destiny. He thought highly of the courageous "outsider" or "stranger" who was willing to sacrifice popularity in order to fulfill themselves as an individual. The social construction of reality. Kant: Humans make themselves believe we actually observe images of things we create for ourselves, e.g. "nature" (?categories, concepts). Money and socialism as alternative means for dealing with modernization (he who has money does not need socialism). Simmel: The cry for equality = pair of crutches on which the demand for liberty came limping in. Once liberty is established, it can stand on its own strong legs, equality is no longer needed. So there are ideas espoused by Simmel that are thought-provoking. I certainly do not agree with some of what he said.
This may be a useful volume for students to read in a sociology class, given that Simmel is considered one of the founders of sociology and not all of his work is translated into English. I didn't think it was particularly well-written, but it did communicate Simmel's thoughts on various topics usually with clarity.
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