Georg Simmel: biography. The philosophy of Georg Simmel

The life of the German thinker and sociologist was intellectually saturated. His biography is full of difficulties, but there are many achievements in it. His views gained popularity and popularity during his lifetime, but the greatest demand for Simmel's ideas came in the second half of the 20th century.

Childhood

The future philosopher was born in Berlin on March 1, 1858, in a large family of a wealthy merchant. George's childhood was quite normal, parents took care of their children, tried to give them a better future. Father, a Jew by birth, adopted the Catholic faith, the mother turned to Lutheranism, in which the children were baptized, including Georg. Up to 16 years the boy successfully went to school, demonstrated success in mastering mathematics and history. It seemed that the typical fate of the merchant is waiting for him, but in 1874 Simmel's father dies, and Georg's life changes. A mother can not have a son, and his family's friend becomes his guardian. He finances the education of the young man and sponsors his admission to the University of Berlin at the Faculty of Philosophy.

Study and formation of views

At the University Simmel learns from the outstanding thinkers of his time: Lazarus, Mommsen, Steintal, Bastian. Already at university time, he vividly demonstrates his dialectical mentality, which later will be celebrated by such philosophers as Pitirim Sorokin, Max Weber and Emil Durkheim. But at the same time, the main life collision is planned, which will complicate the lives of many people in Europe at that time. Georg Simmel, whose biography was greatly hampered because of his nationality, was no exception. At the end of the course at the university, the philosopher tries to defend his doctoral dissertation, but he is refused. The reason is not directly called. But in Berlin at that time antisemitic sentiments reigned and, despite the fact that he was a Catholic by faith, he could not hide his Jewish nationality. He had a pronounced Judaic appearance, and this will not only prevent him from happening again in his life. After a while, thanks to perseverance and perseverance, George managed to still get a degree, but this did not open to him the desired doors.

The difficult life of the German philosopher

After graduating from university, Simmel looks for a teacher's place, but he is not allowed to work permanently, again because of personal data. He receives the post of privat-docent, which does not bring a guaranteed income, but completely consists of students' contributions. Therefore Simmel gives a lot of lectures and writes a large number of articles that are addressed not only to the academic community, but also to the general public. He was an excellent speaker, his lectures were characterized by breadth, an original approach and an interesting presentation. Simmel's lectures were energetic, he knew how to attract listeners, thinking aloud about a wide variety of topics. He had constant success with students and local intellectuals, for 15 years in this position he gained a certain fame and brought friendships with significant thinkers of his environment, for example, with Max Weber. But for a long time the philosopher did not seriously consider the scientific community, sociology had not yet won the status of a fundamental discipline. The Berlin circle of scientists laughed at the original thinker, and this hurt him. Although he continued to work with perseverance: to reflect, write articles, give lectures.

In 1900, however, he receives and official recognition, he is awarded the title of honorary professor, but he still does not reach the desired status. Only in 1914 he finally became an academic professor. By this time he already had more than 200 scientific and popular science publications. But he does not receive a post in his native university in Berlin, but in a supernumerary Strasbourg, which was the source of his experiences for the rest of his life. He did not get along with the local scientific elite, and the last years of his life felt lonely and alienated.

Representations about the laws of life

Georg Simmel differed from his great contemporaries in the absence of a clear affiliation with any philosophical trend. His way was full of throwing, he was thinking about many things, finding such objects for philosophical reflection, which previously did not interest the thinkers. The lack of a clear position did not work for Simmel. This was another reason for the difficulty of integrating the philosopher into the scientific community. But it was thanks to this breadth of reflection that he was able to contribute to the development of several important philosophical topics. There are a lot of people in science whose work begins to be appreciated only after years, and this was Georg Simmel. The biography of the thinker is full of work and endless reflection.

The thesis of Georg Simmel was dedicated to I. Kant. In it, the philosopher tried to comprehend the a priori principles of the social order. The beginning of the path of the thinker is also illuminated by the influence of Charles Darwin and G. Spencer. In line with their concepts, Simmel interpreted the theory of knowledge, revealing the natural-biological foundations of ethics. The philosopher saw as the central problem of his reflections the existence of man in society, therefore he is regarded as a direction with the name "philosophy of life." He connects cognition with the concept of life and sees its main law in going beyond biological limits. Human existence can not be considered outside its natural conditioning, but it is impossible to reduce everything to them only, as this coarsens the meaning of being.

Social philosophy of Georg Simmel

In Berlin, Simmel, along with like-minded people, among whom were M. Weber and F. Tennis, organized the German Sociologists Society. He was actively reflecting on the object, subject and structure of the new science, formulated the principles of social structure. Describing society, Georg Simmel, social interaction represented as the result of many people's contacts. In doing so, he derived the main features of the social order. Among them, such as the number of participants in the interaction (there can not be less than three), the relationship between them, the highest form of which is cohesion, and social space. It is he who introduces this term into scientific circulation, which designates the sphere of communication that the participants define as their own. He calls money and socialized intelligence the most important social forces. Simmel creates a classification of forms of social existence, which is based on the degree of proximity or distance from the "flow of life". Life is represented to the philosopher as a chain of experiences, which are determined simultaneously by biology and culture.

Ideas about modern culture

Georg Simmel thought a lot about social processes and the nature of modern culture. He recognized that money is the most important driving force in society. He wrote a huge work, The Philosophy of Money, in which he described their social functions, discovered their useful and negative impact on modern society. He said that, ideally, a single currency should be created that could weaken cultural contradictions. He pessimistic about the social possibilities of religion and the future of modern culture.

"Functions of social conflict"

The society, according to Simmel, is based on enmity. The interaction of people in society always takes the form of struggle. Competition, subordination and domination, division of labor are all forms of hostility, which inevitably lead to social conflicts. Simmel believed that they initiate the formation of new norms and values of society, they are an integral element of the evolution of society. Also, the philosopher revealed a number of other functions of the conflict, built a typology, described its stages, outlined methods for its settlement.

Fashion Concept

Reflections on social forms form the basis of philosophy, author Georg Simmel. Fashion, in his opinion, is an important element of modern society. In the work "The philosophy of fashion" he explored the phenomenon of this social process and came to the conclusion that it appears only together with urbanization and modernization. In the Middle Ages, for example, it did not exist, says Georg Simmel. The theory of fashion proceeds from the fact that it satisfies the need of individuals for identification, helps new social groups to win their place in the society. Fashion is a sign of democratic societies.

The scientific value of the philosophical views of Georg Simmel

The importance of Simmel's work can not be overestimated. He is one of the founders of sociology, reveals the causes of social development, he understands the role of money and fashion in the culture of mankind. Georg Simmel, whose conflictology became the basis for social philosophy of the second half of the 20th century, left serious work on social confrontations. He had a significant influence on the development of the American direction of sociology and became a harbinger of postmodern thinking.