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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270 THE SOCIAL THEORY OF GEORG SIMMEL time series was far from scientific. As each change was regarded primarily in the light of a later change, the series of changes came to be regarded as one unitary immanent process of change. The series of changes in the institution came to be viewed as its evolution, as the mystical un- foldment of its immanent form. The result was that the actual primary processes of change, the effective factors and forces, were neglected. Not only did this type of in- vestigation in the social fields not contribute to general scientific knowledge, but it was not even satisfactory from the point of view of history. The historical development can be understood only on the basis of a knowledge of the timeless laws, but the investigation required to find those timeless laws was omitted. The knowledge that the organic form, man, devel- oped from the organic form, amoeba, and the economic form, capitalism, from the economic form, tribal commu- nism, through different intermediary stations is not of im- mediate practical value. Not the fact that capitalism de- veloped out of tribal communism and the monogamic mar- riage out of general promiscuity is of importance, but the causes of change at each point of change. The social sci- ences draw their material, of course, from historical data. But they should use these data for the purpose of a general induction which will lead to a timeless law. They should use these data as Simmel uses them, without any considera- tion for their specific place in the time series. Historical data can also be used for an inquiry into the so-called his- torical law, but that is the function of history, not of sci- ence. Science can fulfil its function only if it turns once and for all, not only from all philosophic and historical speculation, but also from all such concepts as evolution and historical law. The fact that the historical dimension as an end in it- self has entirely disappeared out of Simmel’s method, and

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