228 THE SOCIAL THEORY OF GEORG SIMMEL 
That money takes this extreme position in the scale 
of functional relationships between possessor and posses- 
sions is also manifest in another direction. The sphere of 
objects which I fill with my personality because I express 
my will in and through them is limited not only by the in- 
herent characteristics of the objects, but also by the capac- 
ity for expansion of my ego. The sphere of objects can be- 
come so great that I cannot realize my potential dominion 
over them. In this respect also money takes a special place. 
It requires less effort in its administration, enjoyment, and 
dominion than any other object, and the quantity of do- 
minion and possession that can be actualized is much great- 
er than with other forms of property. In the former case the 
inherent characteristics of the objects themselves set the 
limits to the dominion and the freedom of the ego; here it is 
the capacity for expansion which limits the dominion; but 
in both cases money is the form of possession which allows 
the greatest self-expression and the maximum individual 
liberty.! 
Money and Social Differentiation 
The increasing differentiation already referred to be- 
tween the subjective and the objective aspects and the per- 
sonal and factual sides of life is also manifest in the his- 
torical development of property. Possession is an exten- 
sion of the ego, a phenomenon of mental life. Its signifi- 
cance consists in the conscious realization of the existing 
relationship between subject and object. What is done 
with the object is a function of the subject, is a projection 
of the will or the feeling or the thought of the subject into 
the object. But this differentiation is a historical appear- 
ance. Originally practical possession, like theoretical pos- 
session, was a state of indifference, a situation in which the 
1 Phil. des Geldes, pp. 322-56.