THE SOCIAL THEORY OF GEORG SIMMEL 
of morals and aesthetics, of religion and the function of 
money. He has treated the most varied subjects, the most 
divergent aspects of social life, has thrown new light on 
old problems, and given a new approach to the interpreta- 
tion of modern culture in all its phases. Yet Simmel has 
not given nor even attempted a system of social philoso- 
phy. His period was not a period of systematic philosophy. 
He was primarily a fine and subtle analyst rather than a 
synthetic builder. 
This, however, does not mean that there is no unity in 
his work, but it is a functional rather than a structural 
unity. What binds together his essays on the most diverse 
subjects is his treatment, his mode of approach, his own 
characteristic philosophy. There is no immediate relation 
between the contents of his works, but there is a decisive 
anity in the form of his thinking, although one can dis- 
tinguish a gradual development and clarification. 
[t is possible to distinguish three phases in the develop- 
ment of Simmel’s thought. During the first period of his 
life he was primarily occupied with the methodology and 
the presuppositions of the social sciences. During the 
second period he contributed a number of valuable essays 
containing philosophic interpretations of modern civiliza- 
tion. This period culminated in his metaphysics of culture. 
During his last period his interest was centered in a meta- 
physics of life. 
What Kant had done for knowledge in general, Simmel 
andertook for our specific knowledge of the socio-historical 
reality. Kant had criticized the claim of rationalism that 
clearness and distinctness of thought is a criterion for ob- 
jective validity, and had pointed out that there are non- 
empirical conditions of experience. Simmel denounced the 
claims of rationalism to give an adequate account of the 
socio-historical objectivity, and defended the social sci- 
r 
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