Georg Simmel was an early German sociologist that worked on studying the society and the development of the discipline of sociology. He worked on different concepts about social theory and, because of this, his writings continue to inspire. Talking about classical theorists in sociology, people tend to talk mostly about Marx, Durkheim and Weber, leaving Simmel out. But his works are important to complement the other three.
Social Forms
We often focus ourselves with the content of social interactions with others – within families, friends, and even in businesses. But, for Simmel, the task of the sociologist was less about looking at the contents that distinguish types of social interaction from one another and more about illuminating the shared social forms through which a variety of seemingly different interactions take place. An example for this is the relationship of domination and subordination. There is someone subordinated and someone who is empowered but it is still the same social form. Another example is when someone transmits love to someone else and someone transmits hate to someone else, an emotional exchange.
Simmel has similar argument at the level of people with different social types may be filled with various content as different individuals enter these social types.
Tragedy of Culture
Simmel argues that modern societies allow individuals express their own unique talents and interests, while at the same time leading individuals to a tragic form.
Simmel argues that the tragedy of culture comes about when the objective culture comes to dominate the subjective culture of the individual. What is meant by objective culture? Subjective culture? Objective culture involves those objects that people produce (art, philosophy, science and so on) that become part of culture. On the other hand, subjective or individual culture refers to the capacity of the individual to produce, absorb and control the elements of objective culture. In other words, the tragedy of culture occur when the individual’s will and self-development become submissive to the product of its own creativity.
How would that be possible? First, the absolute size of objective culture grows. Second, the number of different components of objective culture increases. And lastly, various elements of objective culture become intertwined in ever more powerful, self-contained worlds that are increasingly beyond the comprehension of the actors who created them.
In modern society, this occurs when new innovations or inventions take a life of their own outside of the creator and confront the creator as an autonomous force, this results in the submission of creator to its own creation.
Division of Labor
The division of labor that arises during the process of modernization allows people to become increasingly creative and innovative. As a result they begin to produce an abundance of cultural objects for consumption. Eventually these products become fetishized by society and therefore gain power that they do not inherently possess.
The individual is destined to be the loser in the confrontation (to grip away from objective culture on a daily basis). Worse, there is no end to this process and to be increasingly controlled by it.
REFERENCES:
ThoughtCo.Who Was Sociologist Georg Simmel?. Retrieved fromhttps://www.thoughtco.com/georg-simmel-3026490
Encyclopædia Britannica. (2018).Georg Simmel. Retrieved fromhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Georg-Simmel
Social Theory Rewired.Tragedy of culture. Retrieved fromhttp://routledgesoc.com/category/profile-tags/tragedy-culture
Published by msabegailcabanos
I used to be afraid in participating in our class. But as a BSMA 1-9 students, I must conquer it. Here incorporated my understanding of the articles and readings in our subject - Contemporary World.View all posts by msabegailcabanos
As a seasoned sociological enthusiast, I've delved extensively into the works of Georg Simmel, an early German sociologist whose profound contributions often find themselves overshadowed in conversations about classical sociological theorists. My familiarity with Simmel's ideas goes beyond the surface, allowing me to shed light on the intricacies of his concepts.
Let's start with Simmel's perspective on social forms. In his exploration of society, Simmel diverted attention from the specific content of social interactions to the underlying shared social forms that give structure to diverse interactions. Take, for instance, the dynamics of domination and subordination, where the same social form persists despite varying content. Simmel extends this idea to emotional exchanges, illustrating that love and hate, though disparate in content, share a common social form. His insight suggests that social types are vessels for various contents as different individuals navigate them.
Moving on to the "Tragedy of Culture," Simmel provides a nuanced analysis of modern societies. He contends that while modernity enables individuals to express their unique talents, a tragic dimension arises when objective culture dominates subjective culture. Objective culture encompasses the products people create—art, philosophy, science—while subjective culture pertains to an individual's capacity to produce, absorb, and control these cultural elements. Simmel argues that the tragedy unfolds as objective culture grows in absolute size, diversifies, and forms self-contained worlds beyond individual comprehension. This results in individuals becoming subservient to their own creations, particularly when innovations take on a life of their own.
Lastly, Simmel's exploration of the division of labor in the process of modernization is crucial. He observes that the increased specialization leads to heightened creativity and innovation, generating a surplus of cultural objects. However, these objects become fetishized by society, gaining a power independent of their inherent qualities. In this scenario, individuals find themselves losing ground in their daily struggle against the grip of an ever-expanding objective culture.
To support my insights, I draw from reputable sources such as ThoughtCo, Encyclopædia Britannica, and Social Theory Rewired, ensuring that my understanding aligns with established scholarship on Georg Simmel. If you're keen on delving deeper into Simmel's sociological realm, these sources provide a solid foundation for further exploration.
In conclusion, while Simmel may not always steal the spotlight in discussions of classical sociological theorists, his concepts—ranging from social forms to the tragedy of culture and the division of labor—offer valuable insights into the complexities of modern society, enriching the broader discourse within sociology.
