The theory and ideas of goerge simmel?

Question

The theory and ideas of goerge simmel?

Answer 1

Simmel refers to "all the forms of association by which a mere sum of separate individuals are made into a 'society,'"[4] which he describes as a, "higher unity,"[4] composed of individuals. He was especially fascinated, it seems, by the, "impulse to sociability in man,"[4] which he described as "associations...[through which] the solitariness of the individuals is resolved into togetherness, a union with others,"[5] a process he describes by which, "the impulse to sociability distils, as it were, out of the realities of social life the pure essence of association,"[5] and "through which a unity is made,"[5] which he also refers to as, "the free-playing, interacting interdependence of individuals."[5]

He defines sociability as, "the play-form of association,"[5] driven by, "amicability, breeding, cordiality and attractiveness of all kinds."[5] In order for this free association to occur, he says, "the personalities must not emphasize themselves too individually...with too much abandon and aggressiveness."[5] He also describes, "this world of sociability...a democracy of equals...without friction," so long as people blend together in a spirit of fun and affection to, "bring about among themselves a pure interaction free of any disturbing material accent."[6] As so many social interactions are not entirely of this sweet character, one has to conclude that Simmel is describing a somewhat idealised view of the best types of human interaction, and by no means the most typical or average type.

The same can be said of Simmel when he says that, "the vitality of real individuals, in their sensitivities and attractions, in the fullness of their impulses and convictions...is but a symbol of life, as it shows itself in the flow of a lightly amusing play,"[7] or when he adds: "a symbolic play, in whose aesthetic charm all the finest and most highly sublimated dynamics of social existence and its riches are gathered."[8] Again, one has to conclude that he is describing human interactions at their idealised best and not the more typical ones, which tend to fall a long way short of his descriptions.

All above quotes are from Simmel's The Sociology of Sociability.[9]