If this Giant Must Walk: A Manifesto for a New Nigeria
George simmel's book on individuality and social forms
1. Georg Simmel (1858-1918)
A review of George Simmel’s book on Individuality and
Social forms
By:Efa Tadesse Debele
Department of Sociology, Addis Ababa University
February 15, 2019
3. Individuality and social forms
Part I:Philosophy of the social sciences
How is history possible?
how raw material –theoretical structure
general law-forms of our mind
man-known by nature and history
man-knower-made nature and history
realities are product of creative ego-kant
4. How is society possible?
nature is representation of nature
societal unification needs no factors out side its own component
elements, the individuals
a society is, therefore, a structure which consists of beings who stand
inside and outside of it at the same time.
this fact forms the basis for one of the most important sociological
phenomenon, namely, that between a society and its component
individuals a realtion may exist as if b/n two parties
Nature is human imagination
synthesis-social being
sociation-psychological process
individual exist for both society and individual
individuals as member, product and content of society
society is synthetic –social being
society composed of unequal elements
5. The problem of sociology
To form society-reciprocity is inevitable
Form and content –inseparable
Sociation –unification- interaction
As geometry –sociology-see contents of forms
The categories of human experience
social and natural sciences
humanity and individuality
Forms of social interaction
exchange –purest and concentrated
-interaction is exchange
6. Exchange as creative process
The significance of sacrifice
Relativity of value
Source of value
The process of value formation
creating objects through exchange
primitive exchange
value and price-value is offspring of price
labour power-sacrifice and gain
-objectification
Forms of appropriation and exchange
The cultural foundations of exchange
7. Conflict form of sociation
The sociological relevance of conflict
Society via positive and negative forces
Unit and discord
Conflict as an integrative force in the group
Homogeneity and heterogeneity in social relation
Antagonism as an element is sociation
Antagonistic game
Legal conflict
Conflict over causes –Marx
Common qualities and common membership in a larger
social structure as bases of conflict
Conflict in intimate relations
8. Domination –a form of interaction
super ordination and subordination
Authority and prestige
Subordination under an individual
unification of group in opposition to the ruler
dissociating effect of subordination under individual
the’ higher tribunal’
subordination under a plurality
subordination under a principle-law
-person, object/land, conscience
Prostitution-momentary r/n ship and satisfaction
Unindividualistic or individualistic
9. continued
Sociability –play form of association
-coquetry
Social types
the stranger-nearness and remoteness
the poor-beggar, receipt
the miser and spendthrift-greedy and extravagant,
miserliness and prodigality
the adventurer-wholeness of life, skepticism-
believing in nothing
the nobility-b/n upper and lower
10. Forms of individuality
Freedom and the individual, posthumous
Individuality-internal and external liberation of individual from
communal forms-constraints-constriction
Freedom-demand of individual use to cover manifold grievances
and self assertion against society
freedom and equality
the deepest point of individuality is the point of universal
equality
mankind-sacred
Individualism
rationalistic liberalism
freedom and equality-free competition
differentiated /uniqueness/personality-division of labor
11. Subjective culture-nature and culture
Culture is perfection of man
Cultivation-individual soul-spiritual wholeness
Subjective culture-imperative of individual
Objective culture-cultivated things
Eros, platonic and modern
-subject and object-self and world
-platonic-love-causes reality-love/deamon
-beauty comes and goes
-eros –sexual love, desire
-plato-love=mediates human and divine
-butmodernists-love mediates persons
-beauty of individuality and individuality of beauty
12. Individuality and social structure
Group expansion and development of individuality
Group expansion and the transformation of social bonds
The relations b/n personal and collective individuality
Less circle less freedom of individuality
Illustration of the formula in religious and political
settings
The basic relation as a dualistic drive
The differentiation drive as a heuristic principle
Stages of social commitment
The sociological duality of the family
Methodological implication –family-self and collective
13. CONTINUED
The indeterminacy of collective individuality
Attachments b/n the first and third levels
Freedom and individuality
Meanings of freedom-from choice of spouse to economic initiative
-freedom limited by individuality
• Meanings of individuality-in sense of freedom, less restraint, being
different
• Individualism and cosmopolitan-humanity-boundless identity-
embracing
• Individuation in the economic sphere-money-cash-economic
individuation
Political sphere-accentuation of individual power
Religious sphere-clergy-laity
General modes of actualization of the correlation
14. The ideals of the equality and unity of
mankind
Unification and equalisation
Extreme individuality with equality of all men-
mankind
Pure –humanity and uniqueness of individual
Ideal –not with-mankind
Christianity and individualism
Group expansion and the determinants of will
-objectivity and subjectivity
-universality and particularistic
-Ethics and interests-cosmopolitan vs patriotism
-
15. continued
Group expansion and consciousness of the ego
-circle and awareness of psyche
Personal autonomy and the elaboration of social
organs
-personal autonomy-self sufficient
-social organ-structural elements
-
16. Fashion
Conflict b/n socialistic adaptation to society and
individual departure from its demand
Socialism vs individualism
Imitation gives to the individual the satisfaction of
not standing alone in his actions
Fashion is imitation reflects attempts
Adjustment –individual and social culture
Social demand and individual need
Consciousness vs material form of life
17. The metropolis and mental life
Blasé out look /attitude-psychic mood, mental
attitude
Self-preservation, valuelessness to objective world
Metropolitan life
A trophy of individual culture and hypertrophy of
objective culture
18. Subordination and personal fulfillment
Super-subordination without degradation
Dissolving dominating structures
Coercion
The inevitably disproportionate distribution of
qualifications and positions
-a priori vs a posteriori
19. Forms and life process; the dialectical
change
Social forms and inner needs
The transcendent character of life
Self-transcendence is common in life
More life and more than life
The conflict in the modern culture
-no shared ideal or ideal at all
-formlessness in contemporary
20. Commentary
Nature and nurture
Human experience-social vs natural science
Value formation-price, labor power and objectification
Sociation
Individuality and freedom-negative not mentioned
Are life, ego, individuality, content not clear
Lack of systematic theory
Disregard academic convention
Priority of either society or individuality no clear
Geometry and Sociology not convincing