What did Georg Simmel seek to demonstrate through his “formal” sociology?

Georg Simmel and George Herbert Mead are famously influential sociologists who made significant contributions to the exploration of society, the construction and established theories of society and the way individual people act within a society. Both of the sociologists were interested in the way that people create the society and the laws used to govern from within. Despite the similarity of the subject studied, the scientist took very different approaches in their research and beliefs. I’ve even heard of them referenced as the “ying and yang of sociology”. Mead is considered the paradigm of symbolic interaction using a pragmatic approach in his research, Simmel focuses on duality and is often referred to as one of the founders of

This report will focus on the text ‘The Metropolis & Mental life’ by Georg Simmel and the key arguments of this primary text. It will start off with a key biography of himself and the influences which he had then will go onto explaining the contribution this key author makes to social theory.

Simmel’s major contribution to sociology resides in his concern with the basic forms of interaction. Unlike Mead and Pareto, Simmel is hard to follow because he jumps from topic to topic, from the micro to the macro and from the historical past to contemporary situations in his time. But in the end, his goal is similar to all other theorists: to explain many empirical events with a few highly abstract models and principles. (Turner P. 287)

Georg Simmel and W.E.B. Du Bois are of most importance to the history of sociological thought for their contributions to the world of the social sciences. W.E.B. Du Bois was born in the United States in Great

Georg Simmel grew up and went to the University of Berlin receiving his doctorate in philosophy in 1881. Simmel stayed at the University of Berlin where he became an unpaid lecturer (Privatdozent) in 1885. He made his way to the social sciences, but was never regarded as an insider in the academic world among his peers. However, he did become a full time professor, which met his academic goals but because he was unable to lecture to student making this accomplishment meaningless. World War I began before Simmel had the chance to give his first lecture at the University of Strasbourg, and he died in 1918 before the war ended. Even though he made a major impact on the academic world and was a popular lecturer, Simmels academic career was never worthwhile.

Michael S. Kimmel is a professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is a well known, published author of a plethora of articles and books. Kimmel is apart of The National Organization for Men Against Sexism, or the NOMAS.

Sociology has its unique perspectives and each perspective makes sense on its own basis. From the three perspectives which are called conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and functionalism the one that makes most sense to me is symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism as stated in the book is, “[A] theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world and communicate with one another.” The sociological perspective of symbolic interactionism was developed by Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead. Symbolic interactionism is analyzed at a microsociological level unlike conflict theory and functionalism.

In this blog I will be explaining the principal sociological perspectives (Marxism, Interactionism, Functionalism and collectivism). The open view in sociology can cause debates, disclosure and sometimes even controversy as we will see in the blog.

He states that “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society”. People can’t see how they were impacted during history and can’t see what happening now. They find it difficult to understand the connection between their individual lives and the course of history, their morals start to lose connection with where society is going. The sociological imagination will make people understand their role in the world, in larger historical scene where they fit in. they will be able to look to things from different perspectives. Over time, they will become more aware as they start to understand their role in the society and how things are connected, they will change their position.

Van Krieken R, Smith P, Habibis D, Mcdonald K, Haralambos M, Holborn M, Sociology Themes and Perspe

Sociology is the study the different aspects of humanity and society. It encompasses a very broad and varying range of topics. It can be studied on a large world-wide scale spanning across several countries, which is called Macrosociology. It can also be studied on a small scale looking at only individual families or neighborhoods, which is called Microsociology. Not only does it peer into humans’ interactions with each other but examines why they act the way they do. It considers the environment, as well as how access to different luxuries can contribute to the people that we become. In this fascinating field there are three primary views on exactly what the fundamental driving force behind society is. Symbolic Interactionalism, the belief that symbols and the meaning that they are given, define how we will perceive life, in this philosophy these meanings are influenced by society and the events of individual lives. Functional Analysis, views society as any other organism, in this theory all parts of the whole must work together cohesively to function. Conflict theory takes a somewhat opposite view than Functionalism, this perspective suggests that rather than wanting to work in unison, society’s underlying motive is a power struggle for resources. Over the course of this paper the reader will explore these different perspectives.

Sociology began in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Western Europe. Around this time, the political and economic systems in Europe were changing. Things like the Monarchy, (which was the

Emile Durkheim is considered to be the Father of Sociology. In contrast to Karl Marx’s theory of Sociology, Durkheim believed that society is made up of a bunch of social facts and can be studied empirically. Durkheim did put a lot of emphasis on the idea of social facts. This made him stand apart from all other theorists and their ideas. (Ritzer 2004) This is what Durkheim said of social facts.

Throughout history, Georg Simmel and W.E.B. Du Bois have had a substantial influence on imperative theories and concepts developed in the area of social sciences. Two of the most significant and distinguished concepts fostered by both of these theorists are the concepts of “double consciousness” and “the stranger”. In this essay, I will be analyzing each of these works to draw upon differences and similarities concerning the two. The resemblances I will be expanding on are the usage of the paradoxical figure, which both theorists discuss in their theories, and the coexisting sensation of division from conventional society. The contrast between the two theories in which I will be exploring is the perception that conventional society

There are a number of different modern social theories regarding the nature of society, social change, human's place within society and the idea of how integration and alienation fit within a modern society. These paradigms combine reflexively into a notion of history. Max Weber was a German politician, scholar, economist, and sociologist. In fact, he founded the modern studies of sociology, public administration, and organizational theory. He was born in 1864 and so was writing and publishing after Marx, but still looking at capitalism, socialism, and the various dictates of society as ways humans are shaped, actualized, and able to have upward mobility. He is most famous for his works surrounding the sociology of religion and government, and how those two institutions shaped, controlled, and contributed to humankind.