The social Theory of Georg Simmel

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1024612627

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-166627

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Spykman, Nicholas J. http://d-nb.info/gnd/124229867

Title:: The social Theory of Georg Simmel

Place of publication:: Chicago

Publisher:: Univ. of Chicago Press.

Year of publication:: 1925

Scope:: XXIX, 297 S

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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ic at le ir 1. he he nt y It Ve nt Vv lv ct Pa d, ‘TS t- HA “3a +d 1l- 4. nf ae es be Ire eS mn SOCIOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY 67 nothing but give none the less a first orientation in the manifoldness of the historical occurrences. But an inquiry aiming at exact knowledge cannot be satisfied with a cor- relation between phenomenological complexes formulated in terms of a historical law. It cannot accept the presuppo- sition of a special momentum for a particular social insti- tution or for a special aspect of social life, nor can it as- sume a unitary force for those institutions which is differ- ent from and independent of the sum of the forces of its elements. It has to continue its process of analysis and differentiation of phenomena until it approaches the actu- ally effective laws of the single elements. It has to explode the artificial unity of the complex, restore the independent efficacy of the elements within the complex, and take cog- nizance of the efficacy of elements outside of the complex. In this approach toward the actually effective forces and factors, the specific concept of “historical law” will finally dissolve. This is only natural. The formulation for relations between occurrences within a special field must lose all validity when it becomes recognized that this spe- cial field is in actuality not separate from and independent of the composing factors within and the cosmic circle with- out. Human history does not occur as a separate, self- contained chapter of which only the beginning and end are influenced by cosmic forces. It develops in continual en- dosmose and exosmose with these cosmic forces. It is con- tinually influenced by forces from the outside which can- not be determined from preceding history, and, as these forces and factors are not constant, the so-called historical law cannot give an adequate explanation of historical de- velopment. This inadequacy of the historical law is most clearly visible in the laws of the development of the special fields of socio-historical life. A history of art which aims at a full and fundamen-

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