164 THE SOCIAL THEORY OF GEORG SIMMEL 
independent of the individuals who compose it. The group 
can remain identical while the members change. We still 
speak of the same state, the same army, the same associa- 
tion, when not a single original member survives. The per- 
sistence of the group is therefore by no means identical 
with the persistence of its members. It is a different phe- 
nomenon. The members may perish while the group re- 
mains, and the group may dissolve while the individuals 
remain. 
At first sight it would seem as if there were a great sim- 
ilarity between the phenomenon of group persistence and 
that of group existence. But the process of socialization 
as it takes place in the temporal order is not fully identical 
with the process that takes place in the spatial order. The 
group exists at a certain time because the mental bond be- 
tween the individuals overcomes their separation in space. 
It is the process of interaction between them that creates 
and maintains the unity of the group. But in the case of 
individuals separated from one another in time, the group 
unity cannot be maintained in the same manner. In that 
case a complete reciprocity is impossible. The earlier mem- 
bers may indirectly influence the later members, but the 
later members cannot influence the earlier ones. Hence the 
persistence of the social unity in spite of shifting member- 
ship presents a peculiar problem which is not solved by ex- 
plaining how the group has come into existence at a cer- 
tain moment. 
Among the different factors which contribute toward 
this persistence of the group may be mentioned the follow- 
ing: the fact that the change in membership occurs only 
gradually; the permanence of the locality; the objectiva- 
tion of the group unity in symbols; its protection by means 
of law, honor, and morality; and the formation of special 
organs. The function of each of these factors and its con-