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Die Großstädte und das Geistesleben
German sociologist Georg Simmel's 1903 essay contemplating the psychology of the the city dweller and the changes and adaptations made by the individual in response to rapidly changing urban stimuli, which in turn alters the social structures within a metropolitan environment.
47 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1903
About the author
Georg Simmel
388 books197 followersGeorg Simmel was a major German sociologist, philosopher, and critic.
Simmel was one of the first generation of German sociologists: his neo-Kantian approach laid the foundations for sociological antipositivism, asking 'What is society?' in a direct allusion to Kant's question 'What is nature?', presenting pioneering analyses of social individuality and fragmentation. For Simmel, culture referred to "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history". Simmel discussed social and cultural phenomena in terms of "forms" and "contents" with a transient relationship; form becoming content, and vice versa, dependent on the context. In this sense he was a forerunner to structuralist styles of reasoning in the social sciences. With his work on the metropolis, Simmel was a precursor of urban sociology, symbolic interactionism and social network analysis. An acquaintance of Max Weber, Simmel wrote on the topic of personal character in a manner reminiscent of the sociological 'ideal type'. He broadly rejected academic standards, however, philosophically covering topics such as emotion and romantic love. Both Simmel and Weber's nonpositivist theory would inform the eclectic critical theory of the Frankfurt School.
Simmel's most famous works today are The Problems of the Philosophy of History (1892), The Philosophy of Money (1907), The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903), Soziologie (1908, inc. The Stranger, The Social Boundary, The Sociology of the Senses, The Sociology of Space, and On The Spatial Projections of Social Forms), and Fundamental Questions of Sociology (1917). He also wrote extensively on the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, as well on art, most notably his book Rembrandt: An Essay in the Philosophy of Art (1916).
Simmel was one of the first generation of German sociologists: his neo-Kantian approach laid the foundations for sociological antipositivism, asking 'What is society?' in a direct allusion to Kant's question 'What is nature?', presenting pioneering analyses of social individuality and fragmentation. For Simmel, culture referred to "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history". Simmel discussed social and cultural phenomena in terms of "forms" and "contents" with a transient relationship; form becoming content, and vice versa, dependent on the context. In this sense he was a forerunner to structuralist styles of reasoning in the social sciences. With his work on the metropolis, Simmel was a precursor of urban sociology, symbolic interactionism and social network analysis. An acquaintance of Max Weber, Simmel wrote on the topic of personal character in a manner reminiscent of the sociological 'ideal type'. He broadly rejected academic standards, however, philosophically covering topics such as emotion and romantic love. Both Simmel and Weber's nonpositivist theory would inform the eclectic critical theory of the Frankfurt School.
Simmel's most famous works today are The Problems of the Philosophy of History (1892), The Philosophy of Money (1907), The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903), Soziologie (1908, inc. The Stranger, The Social Boundary, The Sociology of the Senses, The Sociology of Space, and On The Spatial Projections of Social Forms), and Fundamental Questions of Sociology (1917). He also wrote extensively on the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, as well on art, most notably his book Rembrandt: An Essay in the Philosophy of Art (1916).
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 3, 2016
Se trata de la edición de una conferencia de Simmel sobre la vida en las grandes ciudades. La brevedad del texto se compensa un poco con un amplio estudio introdictorio, que ocupa las tres cuartas partes del libro, además de una bibliografía. Aunque Hermida edita bellos libros, creo que hubiera sido más lógico acompañar el texto con otros de Simmel. No obstante, es un estudio lleno de ideas sobre el dinero, la indiferencia de la vida social urbana, la acumulación de elementos culturales y el hastío que luego el sociólogo desarrolló en otros libros.
October 14, 2017
Nonostante la minuta mole, questo saggio di Simmel è davvero profondo. Padre della sociologia moderna, il filosofo si concentra sulla vita nelle grandi metropoli. Uno dei suoi concetti più famosi rimane indubbiamente quello della "intensificazione della vita nervosa". L'individuo sviluppa una sorta di indifferenza sociale perché colpito da troppi stimoli. In questo caos di messaggi però il cittadino può sperimentare un relativa libertà individuale.
January 8, 2020
مقالة -أو أكثر- مترجمة عن العالم الألماني في علم الاجتماع: چورچ زيمويل.
مترجمة بمنصة معنى.
حول الحاضرة -الواقع المعاش- وتأثيره على الإنسان المعاصر، وأثر الإنسان فيه، وكيفية بحثه عن الفردانية والتصورات المختلفة عنها، وعلاقة ذلك بالاقتصاد، في تصوير الحالة الذهنية له كانعكاسات.
الترجمة ثقيلة فيما أرى، تحتاج بعض البساطة الأدبية خاصة امتلاء الملف بمصطلحات علم الاجتماع والفلسفة أحيانًا.
تشوقت لقراءة باقي مؤلفات أ. چورچ.
مترجمة بمنصة معنى.
حول الحاضرة -الواقع المعاش- وتأثيره على الإنسان المعاصر، وأثر الإنسان فيه، وكيفية بحثه عن الفردانية والتصورات المختلفة عنها، وعلاقة ذلك بالاقتصاد، في تصوير الحالة الذهنية له كانعكاسات.
الترجمة ثقيلة فيما أرى، تحتاج بعض البساطة الأدبية خاصة امتلاء الملف بمصطلحات علم الاجتماع والفلسفة أحيانًا.
تشوقت لقراءة باقي مؤلفات أ. چورچ.
March 14, 2024
This essay is a classic reference point for the early-twentieth-century critique of rationalization and modernity, and it exists in close dialog with work of Max Weber and Georg Lukács on the same topic. Lukács cited Simmel's Philosophie des Geldes in his titanic essay on reification in Geschichte und Klassenbewußtsein, and the influence of this work on his thinking is immediately obvious.
Simmel argues that in order to function, large cities must rationalize their social interactions to make them predictable and orderly. In one telling example, he points to the pocket watches that everyone carries, in order to coordinate themselves in terms of a superordinate, regulating conception of time.
The standardization that results from this rationalization, he argues, tends to drain experience of its individual color, and here one detects distant echoes of Hegel and Marx.
Simmel also calls out the pace of modern life as placing novel demands on our attention, and describes the characteristic mode of life in the city as blasiert, or blasé. In his view, the high frequency of inputs, along with constant changes and demands for our attention, cause people to rebound into a kind of studied indifference, and he sees this as especially impactful on our social interactions. People in modern cities, he reports, barely have the mental capacity to acknowledge their neighbors with a smile or even a glance, and when they do form groups, they tend to maintain strict boundaries, so they have space and security to allow their peculiar personalities to unfold with one another.
Having lived in Berlin for the last six years, I will tell you with 100% certainty that what he is describing here is not typical of modernity as a whole, but is completely typical of this city. Simmel was born in Berlin, went to school at Humboldt University in the heart of the city, and as far as I know, lived here until shortly before his death. The frosty standoffishness he describes and the tendency to socialize in little groups is completely typical of Berlin, but not at all typical of Paris, London, San Francisco, or New York, or probably even Munich or Cologne.
On this basis, I think Simmel somewhat overgeneralizes from his own experience and mis-diagnoses the social malaise he experiences as stemming from various features of modern life, when some of them would seem to me to be clearly rooted in peculiarities of local culture.
Simmel argues that in order to function, large cities must rationalize their social interactions to make them predictable and orderly. In one telling example, he points to the pocket watches that everyone carries, in order to coordinate themselves in terms of a superordinate, regulating conception of time.
The standardization that results from this rationalization, he argues, tends to drain experience of its individual color, and here one detects distant echoes of Hegel and Marx.
Simmel also calls out the pace of modern life as placing novel demands on our attention, and describes the characteristic mode of life in the city as blasiert, or blasé. In his view, the high frequency of inputs, along with constant changes and demands for our attention, cause people to rebound into a kind of studied indifference, and he sees this as especially impactful on our social interactions. People in modern cities, he reports, barely have the mental capacity to acknowledge their neighbors with a smile or even a glance, and when they do form groups, they tend to maintain strict boundaries, so they have space and security to allow their peculiar personalities to unfold with one another.
Having lived in Berlin for the last six years, I will tell you with 100% certainty that what he is describing here is not typical of modernity as a whole, but is completely typical of this city. Simmel was born in Berlin, went to school at Humboldt University in the heart of the city, and as far as I know, lived here until shortly before his death. The frosty standoffishness he describes and the tendency to socialize in little groups is completely typical of Berlin, but not at all typical of Paris, London, San Francisco, or New York, or probably even Munich or Cologne.
On this basis, I think Simmel somewhat overgeneralizes from his own experience and mis-diagnoses the social malaise he experiences as stemming from various features of modern life, when some of them would seem to me to be clearly rooted in peculiarities of local culture.
May 5, 2017
Εντελώς άλλη οπτική, θα δείτε τα μάτια, τ' αυτιά και τα χέρια με άλλο "μάτι"
January 13, 2023
Interesting exploration of the protective buffers we put up living in a metropolis to deal with the constantly changing stimuli that would otherwise overwhelm us - and the ramifications it has on our personalities. In turn, the very social structure of the city is both a result of, and the cause of, these adaptations. I like that Simmel manages to convey a critique of people (both urban and otherwise) without sounding judgmental. Even as he talks about personalities disintegrating from a chronic blasé attitude, he manages to speak of it matter-of-factly.
Although written 120 years ago, it provides much to think about in this century, especially with the use of self-checkouts, no-contact delivery apps, text messaging and chatting as a preferred way of interaction over face-to-face encounters (or even in preference to speaking on the telephone) and the new types of 'shells' that we erect around ourselves in an attempt to control the mental energy we are spending on each random encounter. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, but they do come at a cost. Namely, a devaluing of everything in the objective world which leads to the sense that there is little meaning to life.
Although written 120 years ago, it provides much to think about in this century, especially with the use of self-checkouts, no-contact delivery apps, text messaging and chatting as a preferred way of interaction over face-to-face encounters (or even in preference to speaking on the telephone) and the new types of 'shells' that we erect around ourselves in an attempt to control the mental energy we are spending on each random encounter. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, but they do come at a cost. Namely, a devaluing of everything in the objective world which leads to the sense that there is little meaning to life.
May 2, 2020
Incredible analysis penetrating surface of daily life in a big city... I am not a sociologist but I guess this is article is a milestone in both urban sociology and cultural analysis. This is the 2nd time I've read it.
Want to read
December 24, 2021Out of the 10-15 assigned texts this semester, voted by students as the one they "learned the most from in this class."
July 30, 2021
Una clara pincelada sobre la naturaleza de la ciudad moderna.
October 2, 2023
Em “A metrópole e a vida mental”, Georg Simmel trata, sobretudo, sobre certas características da vida serem sintetizadas nos espaços urbanos, o que é capaz de explicar as atitudes sociais corriqueiras, que estamos muito condicionados a acelerar o tempo todo e que o individualismo, muito comum nas metrópoles, é forte barreira à necessidade de pensar na coletividade. O texto auxilia na reflexão da metrópole como local em que o indivíduo pode desempenhar vários papéis a depender de suas relações e ao mesmo tempo, esse mesmo indivíduo é do “outro”. De forma parecida, cada vez mais a cultura tem se tornado mais um aspecto mais objetiva que liga os indivíduos ao mercado.
November 20, 2021
Discovered this from my college syllabus. Despite having to take several re-reading to understand what Simmel is trying to convey in some places, his (although very old) analysis has really impacted my world view. An eye opening read about life paces in urban and suburban spaces and how it affects the psyche of its inhabitants. Interesting concepts.
November 17, 2021
Inspired by Margot to put the essays from class on here. This one took me long af to read but it makes a lot of sens. I wrote a paper relating it to the character of the professor in The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
May 20, 2023
libro intramontabile e geniale. da leggere più e più volte per uscire dalla nostra bolla di indifferenza e iniziare veramente a comprendere gli altri. la città ci ha resi blasé e privi di empatia, riducendoci a un granello di sabbia in un mondo in cui ogni cosa è diventata affare privato
May 4, 2021
For all of us who are questioning city life this is a must read.
December 27, 2021
Great intellectual read, Georg is a great philosopher
Read
August 22, 2022(Pra faculdade)
October 6, 2022
really interesting to a “new” new yorker
May 15, 2023
Pretty good
January 25, 2024
Sympa avant que le mec lâche les pires conneries racistes dans les dernières pages en essayant en même temps de se faire passer pour quelqu'un d'ouvert d'esprit
April 11, 2020
La génesis de las metrópolis europeas se caracteriza por la transformación social y diferenciación progresiva en distintas esferas de la vida, lo que las hace distintas de las pequeñas ciudades del medioevo. De acuerdo con Simmel esta trasformación tiene que ver con al menos dos aspectos. El primero de ellos es el surgimiento de la economía de mercado, donde la producción no se orienta al autoconsumo, sino que la generación de un excedente permite la producción para el mercado, las relaciones sociales entre el productor y el consumidor se despersonalizan y la lógica de la división social del trabajo se impone.
Por otra parte, la emergencia de las urbes tiene como correlato el surgimiento de la modernidad, para Simmel este fenómeno se caracteriza por el predominio del intelecto en las relaciones sociales, dejando atrás las relaciones de proximidad, afectividad y cercanía propia del contexto de la vida rural. Esta denominada “intelectualización” implica impersonalidad, distancia e indiferencia en el contacto entre los sujetos citadinos a causa de la progresiva valorización de la individualidad y de la libertad personal. La imposición de la libertad individual y de libre circulación de los sujetos provoca que los encuentros sean cada vez más fragmentarios y que el proceso de individualización se erija como una de las bases del mundo moderno.
Por otra parte, la emergencia de las urbes tiene como correlato el surgimiento de la modernidad, para Simmel este fenómeno se caracteriza por el predominio del intelecto en las relaciones sociales, dejando atrás las relaciones de proximidad, afectividad y cercanía propia del contexto de la vida rural. Esta denominada “intelectualización” implica impersonalidad, distancia e indiferencia en el contacto entre los sujetos citadinos a causa de la progresiva valorización de la individualidad y de la libertad personal. La imposición de la libertad individual y de libre circulación de los sujetos provoca que los encuentros sean cada vez más fragmentarios y que el proceso de individualización se erija como una de las bases del mundo moderno.
January 26, 2020
Dieser verschriftlichte Vortrag elaboriert einen interessanten Teil des kulturhistorischen Werkes von Simmels "Philosophie des Geldes". Im Vordergrund steht das "Seelenleben" der "Großstadtmenschen", welches - im Vergleich zur Kleinstadt - stärker durch Verhältnisse der Unpersönlichkeit und Entwurzelung geprägt ist. In der Großstadt als Ort der Geldwirtschaft sei der Mensch durch sein nutzenkalkulierendes und nutzenabwägendes, utilitaristisches Denken und Handeln charakterisierbar. Mit "Rechnen" ist hier ein "Berechnen" gemeint: Die zunehmende Monetarisierung und der technisch gestützte sowie stark durchgetaktete Alltag führe zu einer Veränderung im praktischen Lebens der Großstadtmenschen. Darüber hinaus seien die in der Großstadt lebenden Menschen durch eine Art Abstumpfung, 'Blasiertheit' und Reserviertheit gekennzeichnet. Das Erwerbsleben sei durch Arbeitsteilung und Spezialisierung geprägt. Simmel erklärt seine Beobachtungen aus der kulturellen Entwicklung im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert: Gegenüber der feudalen Gesellschaft hat sich das Individuum von den historischen Bindungen liberalisiert und kämpft nun täglich um seine Einzigartigkeit, Unverwechselbarkeit und Wiedererkennbarkeit.
Schon diese wenigen Ausführung zeigen Simmels' gesellschaftskritische Perspektive und helfen den Lesenden, die Entwicklung des Subjektes in der Moderne besser zu verstehen. Der kurze Text, den man in weniger als einer Stunde durchlesen kann, hat an seiner historischen Schlagkraft nichts verloren. Simmel hält der Gesellschaft einen Spiegel vor, in dem die Konturen des Lebens sichtbar werden.
Die nur wenig bekannte Abhandlung sollte aus meiner Sicht nicht nur die Soziologiestudierenden beschäftigen, sondern sie kann allgemein alle kritischen Geister ansprechen, die bereit sind, sich mit der schleichenden Utilitarisierung und Monetarisierung unseres Erwerbs- und auch Alltagsleben aktiv auseinanderzusetzen. Sehr empfehlenswert, erhellend und neue Einsichten vermittelnd!
Schon diese wenigen Ausführung zeigen Simmels' gesellschaftskritische Perspektive und helfen den Lesenden, die Entwicklung des Subjektes in der Moderne besser zu verstehen. Der kurze Text, den man in weniger als einer Stunde durchlesen kann, hat an seiner historischen Schlagkraft nichts verloren. Simmel hält der Gesellschaft einen Spiegel vor, in dem die Konturen des Lebens sichtbar werden.
Die nur wenig bekannte Abhandlung sollte aus meiner Sicht nicht nur die Soziologiestudierenden beschäftigen, sondern sie kann allgemein alle kritischen Geister ansprechen, die bereit sind, sich mit der schleichenden Utilitarisierung und Monetarisierung unseres Erwerbs- und auch Alltagsleben aktiv auseinanderzusetzen. Sehr empfehlenswert, erhellend und neue Einsichten vermittelnd!
February 20, 2017
Quella sottile linea tra vecchio e datato. Scegliete voi da che lato stare.
April 25, 2008
Ein sehr anstrengend zu lesender Text. Als nicht- Soziologe war dieser Text für mich sehr schwer verständlich. Nachdem ich den Text allerdings 2 Mal durchgelesen hatte, sah ich etwas klarer und verstand endlich Simmels anliegen.
Es geht im Grunde genommen um die Auswirkungen der Großstadt (als Sitz der Geldwirtschaft) auf die geistige Verfassung des Großstadtmenschen. Der Mensch ist in der Großstadt so vielen verschiedenen Reizen ausgesetzt,dass er auf Dauer zu erschöpft ist, um auf neue Reize zu reagieren. Sein Nervensystem, welches vorher stark auf die Reize reagiert hatte, zeigt keine Reaktion auf neue Reize mehr, da die Reize zu schnell auf einander Folgen, als dass der Mensch die Energie hätte alle diese Reize aufzunehmen. Dadurch stumpft er ab (Blasiertheit).
Die ist natürlich nicht die ganze Theorie Simmels, sondern ein interessanter Aspekt.
Wenn man den historischen Kontext ebenfalls beachtet, in dem dieser Aufsatz geschrieben wurde, versteht man umso mehr die herausragende Arbeit des Georg Simmels.
Es geht im Grunde genommen um die Auswirkungen der Großstadt (als Sitz der Geldwirtschaft) auf die geistige Verfassung des Großstadtmenschen. Der Mensch ist in der Großstadt so vielen verschiedenen Reizen ausgesetzt,dass er auf Dauer zu erschöpft ist, um auf neue Reize zu reagieren. Sein Nervensystem, welches vorher stark auf die Reize reagiert hatte, zeigt keine Reaktion auf neue Reize mehr, da die Reize zu schnell auf einander Folgen, als dass der Mensch die Energie hätte alle diese Reize aufzunehmen. Dadurch stumpft er ab (Blasiertheit).
Die ist natürlich nicht die ganze Theorie Simmels, sondern ein interessanter Aspekt.
Wenn man den historischen Kontext ebenfalls beachtet, in dem dieser Aufsatz geschrieben wurde, versteht man umso mehr die herausragende Arbeit des Georg Simmels.
March 9, 2015
Finns i engelsk översättning som pdf en googlesökning bort. Titeln 'The Metropolis and Mental Life' ger mig angenäma urbansociologiska rysningar, men texten är tämligen ogenomtränglig, åtminstone på en kafferast en marsmåndag.
Till storstadslivet hör bl.a. "the blasé outlook", "the unexpectedness of violent stimuli" samt "the intensification of emotional life due to the swift and continous shift of external and internal stimuli." Hallelujah, Herr Simmel!
Till storstadslivet hör bl.a. "the blasé outlook", "the unexpectedness of violent stimuli" samt "the intensification of emotional life due to the swift and continous shift of external and internal stimuli." Hallelujah, Herr Simmel!
March 11, 2010
livre à lire et à commenter pour la socio, ça demande un effort d'abstraction, je vais devoir le relire dans la semaine.
November 16, 2010
Dietro metropoli leggete Berlino e dietro vita dello spirito leggete umanità nella modernità.
April 26, 2016
ένα ποίημα για την πόλη του 19ου αιώνα, που όμως πυροδοτεί πολλές συζητήσεις
November 16, 2019
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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