Though George Simmel was lucky to had great legacy of Kant, Hegel and Max, he himself was a great scholar and came up with unique ideas different from earlier contributors. Unlike to macro and conflict school of sociology, he had other intentions that he inked by the means of his diversified work in the form of essays, journals, articles, and books. Here, I’m going to present an overview of micro sociologist George Simmel.
Early life or biography of micro sociologist George Simmel
George Simmel, German sociologist, born in 1958 when the world was in transition in terms of structural changes in economy, political regimes and large scale migrations across the world. Obviously, this was the breeding ground for the thinkers want to look into social reality.
As a student, he studied philosophy and history but had great interest in understanding social study. As lecturer, he taught at the Berlin University until 1914. But, unfortunately, his teachings career wasn’t like he wanted. Much ups and downs he saw but never gave up his mission and intent.
Though he attracted large number of students with his way of teaching, his general approach, as per his critics, made his journey to be insider or gain a full – time professorship. And, he continued as an academic outsider for longer period.
Works and career of Simmel
The teaching career of Simmel wasn’t satisfactory considering his intelligence, abilities, and style of teaching. Most of the period of life, he was unpaid, academic outsider, but lucky to have great fortune by his guardian to maintain his livelihood and expenses.
As I mentioned earlier that he studied philosophy and history at the University of Berlin and received PhD on a study of Immanuel Kant’s theories of philosophy. Then, he taught philosophy, psychology, and early sociology courses.
Eventually, he received a full time professorship at the German university. But, unfortunately, due to World War, there were hardly academic activities. Finally, Simmel died in 1918 after succumbing to a battle with cancer.
Simmel, in his life time, wrote many essays, journals, articles and books on various social aspects. The Philosophy of History (1892), The Philosophy of Money (1900), The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903) are the most famous works of Simmel.
Ideas, achievements of George Simmel
Undoubtedly, his work was instrumental in looking at the social reality different than what macro sociologist and conflict school tried to prove.
Basically, he was a champion of formal sociology and father of urban sociology. As micro sociologist George Simmel, came up with the principle of emergentism and also known as “methodological relationist”
His keen interest was in the interactions and small group research. His dilectical approach, principle of emergentism, social geometry, sociation and formal sociology make him different and one of classical thinker or founder of sociology.
Simmel’s thought on social reality
Simmel said that sociologist needs to study human phenomenon in terms of interactions and final forms. Further, he stressed to focus on forms rather than contents. For this, he came up with sociation.
Unlike to Durkhiem, he argued that Higher level of social reality emerges from lower level and challenged the pre existing social structure or permanancy.
For Simmel, sociology doesn’t pretend to usurp the subject matter of economics, psychology, ethics, or history. Rather, it concentrate on the forms of interactions that underlie political, economics, and religious behavior.
Actually, it is too difficult to present the total work of micro sociologist George Simmel in a single post or article. For Detailed study material, I would suggest readers to follow your online dictionary. There, you can access all the notes regarding George Simmel in detail.
Understanding Sociological Approach Of Simmel
Sociological approach of Simmel
Not like prominent sociological and classical thinkers, but even as a complementary to mainstream thinkers, the sociological approach by Simmel has best things to share with intellectual community.
German sociologist who belong to conflict school and champion of formal sociology, famously known and remembered for his unique work as “Micro sociologists”.
Unlike “Organicist or positivist and Idealist” sociological earlier approaches, he opted for interactionists view of sociological study.
As per this sociological approach of Simmel, “Society is made up of intricate web of multiple relations between individuals who are in constant interactions with each other.
Positivist and idealist approach of sociology
Positivist or organicist approach favoured by great Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer.
The proponent of this approach believed to see the society and social reality through the lenses of natural science and like biological processes.
In simple terms, organicist treats society similar to the development of living beings or biological processes.
On the other hand, idealistic has different to say. They said that the physical world is not measurable and any attempt to measure human social phenomen, in terms of humanities like history and sociology, is meaningless.
So, George Simmel had other idea to study social reality and he did so.
Explaining sociation
As per Simmel “Sociation” is the patterns and forms that a particular social reality assume.
For example, the smallest social phenomenon takes place between two individuals like “Dyad” and complex phenomenon takes place among smaller phenomena or when smaller such phenomena interact with each other to form the large level reality.
Forms and content
He chose to study forms rather than contents. Because, he thinks that all content have not definite patterns and durability as well as no universal presence.
So, those interactions which have specific and permanent patterns and forms, provide better insight of social reality, and sociologists should look into avoiding diversity and multiplicity of content.
The philosophy of money of Simmel
The prime concern of the philosophy of money of Simmel is to understand the general form of money and value, as well as to learn the impacts of money on the ” inner world” of individual and on the objective culture. He treated money as a specific phenomenon linked with a variety of other components of life including, ownership, exchange, greed, etc. So, let’s know in detail the philosophy of money of Simmel.
Karl Marx vs George Simmel
Both look similar in this regard but have considerable differences that can’t be ignored. On the one hand, Simmel saw the economic problems of his time as simply a specific manifestation of a more general cultural problem, the alienation of subjective from objective culture.
For Marx,on the other hand, economic problems as time bounded, the product of capitalistic society, and,as per him, the problems will finally, be solved with socialism.
But, for Simmel, socialism suggested by Marx is a cause to escalate the existing problem further.
Money and value relationship
In the philosophy of money of Simmel, he explained relationship of object, value and money and impacts on subjective and objective culture.
As per his study, people create object by separating from the object, and then, try to overcome it by the means of money value in the modern money economy.
Further, he asserts that the object created by individual, should not be too close nor too far to attain. Whosoever want to attain or overcome the distance should do so but with great effort.
In conclusion, money, in the modern economy is the means to create distance between people and then provides the means to overcome the created distance.
Reification and rationalisation
Like in the objective and subjective culture, here too, money like cultural objects created by individual, provides means by which certain entities such as market, financial institutions, acquire a life of its own that is external to, coercive of, to individuals.
Finally, he wants to prove that money has power to reify and rationalise the mentality of people that is completely opposite of earlier societies where means of such exchange were absent.
Methodology of George Simmel
Really, understanding work and methodology of George Simmel isn’t an easy task. Well, we are aware about the main concern of Simmel regarding study of society, it is none but relationship, interactions or associations.
In society, at the lower level, individual is connected through interactions or associations. Specially, he talks about specific interactions with definite patterns and forms. As per Simmel, interactions assume specific patterns and forms over a period of time.
And, sociologists should look into these interactions. Because, the web of such interactions make what we want to study or explore.
Champion of formal sociology
According to Simmel, sociology doesn’t pretend to usurp the subject matter of economics, psychology, ethics, or history. Rather, it concentrate on the forms of interactions that underlie political, economics, and religious behavior.
Simply, he is more concerned with the processes of conflict, cooperation, and subordination, instead institutions of kinship.
Interactionist and micro sociologist
Macro sociologists like Durkheim write about the preexisting of social structure, while Simmel comes up with the principle of emergentism.
He claims that higher level social reality always emerges from lower level, so, there is nothing like pre existing.
Simmel and Conflict school
Conflict is essential ingredient to bring much needed social change and it helps to avert society from collapse. As per him, no Society ever be conflict free. So, conflict is a means to advance society further.
Dialectical approach
He used dialectical views to study various social phenomena. Fashion’ is the best example in which he explained his dialectical views. He explained how object created by individual faces opposition earlier and later become so common.
Eventually, once it becomes independent with its own existence, acts coercive to the actor or individual who created it.
Here, the major difference between Marx and George Simmel is that Marx used dialectical approach to find final solution for oppressive capitalistic system with socialism. But, Simmel follows the path of Weber and favours iron cage concept from which there is no escape.
Social geometry of George Simmel
Simmel used number and distance to study small groups and interactions. He noted that with increasing and decreasing numbers and distance had strong bearing on the nature and quality of interactions of groups. In the study of “Dyad and Triad” he explained the impacts of his social geometry.
As I mentioned earlier that it is too difficult to understand the work and methodology of George Simmel. As a capacity of learner, by reading and thoroughly understanding study material of Ritzer, I tried to present here.
This is all about the biography, philosophy and methodology of micro Sociologist George Simmel.
Dilectical approach of George Simmel
Accommodation and acculturation