gxviil THE LIFE OF GEORG SIMMEL 
sociology. Wiese and Scheler in Cologne and the Vaertel- 
jahresheft fiir Sozialwissenschaften have definitely accepted 
Simmel’s views regarding the study of sociology. 
The immediate cause of Simmel’s death was a mortal 
illness, but the great indirect cause was the world-war. 
The underfeeding which resulted from it for all classes in 
Germany undermined his powers of resistance to the fatal 
disease. But even stronger than this physiological factor 
was the mental shock which his sensitive nature received 
through the war hatred and its results. He was a European 
in the best sense of the term, incapable of narrow chauvin- 
ism, a lover of that European culture which was for him 
an indivisible unity. 
The war threatened the very foundations of European 
culture. The burst of frenzied patriotism had divided the 
scientists and philosophers into fighting, squabbling na- 
tional factions. Co-operation for the sake of truth had 
been succeeded by mutual destruction for the sake of ha- 
tred. The search for truth had been abandoned, and the 
rationalization and justification of national prejudices had 
taken its place. Scientists and philosophers had given up 
their eternal calling and become political propagandists. 
All this grieved Simmel deeply. His faith in European 
culture was shaken. And added to his disappointment in 
the scientific world in general was his disappointment in 
some of his personal friends. Above all else he was disap- 
pointed in Bergson. Simmel had a profound admiration 
for his work and had done a great deal to introduce it 
to the German public. That Bergson should have been 
swayed by the national feeling in his country and should 
have turned chauvinist instead of keeping himself aloof 
from the political turmoil and intrigue hurt him deeply. 
Simmel himself remained objective and analytical in 
the midst of the debacle which befell Europe, and that 
alc 
tiv 
Ev 
he 
SC] 
his 
las 
ree 
ing 
she 
rea 
He 
of 
to 
al 
oj 
Lo 
of 
he 
pr