"Of those who created the intellectual capital used to launch the enterprise of professional sociology, Georg Simmel was perhaps the most original and fecund. In search of a subject matter for sociology that would distinguish it from all other social sciences and humanistic disciplines, he charted a new field for discovery and proceeded to explore a world of novel topics in works that have guided and anticipated the thinking of generations of sociologists. Such distinctive concepts of contemporary sociology as social distance, marginality, urbanism as a way of life, role-playing, social behavior as exchange, conflict as an integrating process, dyadic encounter, circular interaction, reference groups as perspectives, and sociological ambivalence embody ideas which Simmel adumbrated more than six decades ago."—Donald N. Levine Half of the material included in this edition of Simmel's writings represents new translations. This includes Simmel's important, lengthy, and previously untranslated "Group Expansion and Development of Individuality," as well as three selections from his most neglected work, Philosophy of Money; in addition, the introduction to Probleme der Geschichtsphilosophie, chapter one of the Lebensanschauung, and three essays are translated for the first time.

In "Superiority and Subordination as Subject-Matter of Sociology," Georg Simmel presents a profound exploration of social hierarchies and the intricate dynamics of power within human relationships. Simmel employs a distinctive literary style that integrates philosophical inquiry with sociological analysis, meticulously dissecting the interplay of superiority and subordination as a core aspect of social life. This work is situated within the broader context of early 20th-century sociology, where thinkers began to examine societal structures beyond mere economic determinism, thus positioning Simmel as a pioneer in the field of social interaction and individual agency. Georg Simmel, a prominent German sociologist, philosopher, and cultural critic, was deeply influenced by the rapid social changes of his time, including modernity, urbanization, and industrialization. His diverse scholarly background encompassed philosophy and art, which shaped his unique perspective on society and individual experiences. Simmel's work often reflects his engagement with existentialism and aesthetics, making "Superiority and Subordination" a crucial text to understand the nuanced social constructs of power and identity. This book is highly recommended for students and scholars of sociology, as well as anyone interested in the complexities of social dynamics and power relations. Simmel's incisive analysis invites readers to reflect on the ubiquitous nature of superiority and subordination, fostering a deeper understanding of the implications these concepts have on contemporary societal interactions.

Georg Simmel's highly original take on the newly revived field of sociology succeeded in making the field far more sophisticated than it had been beforehand. He took insights from dialectical thought and Kantian epistemology to develop a form sociology method that remains implicit in the field a century later. Forms include such patterns of interaction as inequality, secrecy, membership in multiple groups, organization size, and coalition formation. While today texts and professional societies are organized around contents rather than forms, a fresh reading of Simmel's chapters on forms suggests original avenues of inquiry into each of the contents--family, business, religion, politics, labor relations, leisure.

"Of those who created the intellectual capital used to launch the enterprise of professional sociology, Georg Simmel was perhaps the most original and fecund. In search of a subject matter for sociology that would distinguish it from all other social sciences and humanistic disciplines, he charted a new field for discovery and proceeded to explore a world of novel topics in works that have guided and anticipated the thinking of generations of sociologists. Such distinctive concepts of contemporary sociology as social distance, marginality, urbanism as a way of life, role-playing, social behavior as exchange, conflict as an integrating process, dyadic encounter, circular interaction, reference groups as perspectives, and sociological ambivalence embody ideas which Simmel adumbrated more than six decades ago."—Donald N. Levine Half of the material included in this edition of Simmel's writings represents new translations. This includes Simmel's important, lengthy, and previously untranslated "Group Expansion and Development of Individuality," as well as three selections from his most neglected work, Philosophy of Money; in addition, the introduction to Probleme der Geschichtsphilosophie, chapter one of the Lebensanschauung, and three essays are translated for the first time.

Georg Simmel's essay “How Is Society Possible?” is built on the idea that an individual can develop himself or herself fully only by entering into society but nevertheless remains marked with an “in-addition” or “individuality-nucleus” that is never entirely socialized. Georg Simmel, American Journal of Sociology, vol. 16 (1910-11) "Kant could propose and answer the fundamental question of his philosophy, How is nature possible?, only because for him nature was nothing but the representation (Vorstellung) of nature. This does not mean merely that "the world is my representation," that we thus can speak of nature only so far as it is a content of our consciousness, but that what we call nature is a special way in which our intellect assembles, orders, and forms the sense perceptions. These "given" perceptions, of color, taste, tone, temperature, resistance, smell, which in the accidental sequence of subjective experience course through our consciousness, are in and of themselves not yet "nature;" but they become "nature" through the activity of the mind, which combines them into objects and series of objects, into substances and attributes and into causal coherences."