An Introduction to Simmel .ppt

1、An Introduction to Simmel By Fu YanContents1.Biography2.Major works3.Simmels field of sociology 3.1 general ideas 3.2 dialectical thinking:1)individual&society 2)harmony&conflict 3)superordination&subordination 3.3 social types:1)the stranger 2)the poor 3.4 the significance of numbers for social lif

2、e 3.5 Simmel on secrecy 3.6 sociology of sexes 3.7 the philosophy of money4.Implications on discourse analysisBiography Full name:Georg Simmel 1858 born in Berlin study:philosophy and history 1881 doctorate:The Nature of Matter According to Kants Physical Monadology 1885 lecturer at the University o

3、f Berlin 1901 extraordinary professor 1909 a founder of German Society for Sociology 1914 ordinary professorship at the University of Strassburg 1918 died from liver cancer in StrassburgMain works1.On Social Differentiation,18902.The Problem of Historical Philosophy,1892/19053.Introduction to moral

4、philosophy,18924.The Philosophy of Money,19005.Kant:16 lectures,19046.On religion,19067.Sociology,1908 “father of formal sociology”8.Philosophical Culture,19119.Goethe,1913 Simmels field of sociology Simmels view of society:society consists of an intricate web of multiple relations between individua

5、ls who are in constant interaction with one another:Society is merely the name for a number of individuals,connected by interaction.What should be studied in sociology?Sociology asks what happens to men and by what rules they behave,not insofar as they unfold their understandable individual existenc

6、e in their totalities,but insofar as they form groups and are determined by their group existence because of interaction.Three problem areas of sociology General sociology:the sociological study of historical life Formal sociology:the study of societal forms Philosophical sociology:the study of the

7、epistemological and metaphysical aspects of societyFormal sociology Formal sociology isolates form from the heterogeneous content of human sociation.It attempts to show that however diverse the interests and purposes that give rise to specific associations among men,the social forms of interaction i

8、n which these interests and purposes are realized may be identical.The sociologist is concerned with King John,not with King John with the processes of conflict and cooperation,of subordination and superordination,of centralization and decentralization,which constitute the building blocks for the la

9、rger institutional structure.A formal sociological analysis of social conversation Two kinds of conversation:1)talk seriously to communicate information or come to an understanding of something;2)sociable conversation:talk for the sake of talking at social gatherings.In purely sociable conversations

10、,the topic is not the purpose;it is only a means through which the lively exchange of speech unfolds its attraction.For conversation to remain satisfied with mere form,it cannot allow any content to become significant in its own right.The ability to change topics easily and quickly is part of the na

11、ture of sociable conversationDialectical thinking A dialectical approach rejects the idea that there are hard and fast dividing lines between social phenomena,and focuses on social relations.Simmels sociology was concerned with relationships especially interaction and was known as a“methodological r

12、elationist”.His principle was that everything interacts in some way with everything else.Overall he was mostly interested in dualisms.Individual and society The socialized individual always remains in a dual relation with society:he is incorporated within it and yet stand against it.The individual i

13、s,at the same time,within the society and outside it;he exists for society as well as for himself.social man is not partially social and partially individual;rather,his existence is shaped by a fundamental unity:man in both social link and being for himself,both products of society and life from an

14、autonomous center.“double-man”“There are in each of us two consciences:one which is common to our groupthe other,on the contrary,represents that in us which is personal and distinct,that which makes us individual”Durkheim,1933 Simmel:“It is peculiarly characteristic of fashion that it renders possib

15、le a social obedience,which at the same time is a form of individual differentiation”The“what”and the“who”aspects of individuality:on the one hand,each individual is an absolute singularity,someone incomparable and irreplaceable,and yet on the other hand,everyone is composed of qualities possessed b

16、y many people,the combination of which nevertheless succeeds in making one unique.Harmony and conflict Sociation always involves harmony and conflict It is nave to view as negative those forces that result in conflict and as positive those that make for consensus.Conflict is the very essence of soci

17、al life.Sociation is always the result of both categories of interaction;both are positive ingredients.Superordination and subordination a special form of interaction reciprocal action The action of one can only be analyzed by reference to the action of others.Dependence on some persons is compensat

18、ed by authority over others.Social types Defined by the features of social relations People always perceive other individuals as representatives of a type The type is always at the same time more and less than the individual.The social type expresses what is special about an individual through somet

19、hing that is common to many individuals.The stranger a specific form of interaction The stranger is not just a wanderer who comes today and goes tomorrow.On the contrary,he is a person who comes today and stays tomorrowhe is fixed within a particular spatial groupbut his position is determined by th

20、e fact that he does not belong to it from the beginningand that he may leave againThe roles of“the stranger”close and far away at the same time partial involvement:“an element of the group itself while not being fully part of it”objectivity/freedom:“he surveys conditions with less prejudice;his crit

21、eria for them are more general and more objective ideas;he is not tied down in his action by habit,piety,and precedent”.mobility:“he comes in contact,at one time or another,with every individual,but is not organically connected,through established ties of kinship,locality,and occupation,with any sin

22、gle one”confidantThe poor Definition:The poor,as a sociological category,are not those who suffer from specific deficiencies and deprivations,but those who receive assistance or should receive it according to social norms.No one is socially poor until he has been assisted.Once the poor accept assist

23、ance,they are removed from the preconditions of their previous status;they are declassified,and their private trouble now becomes a public issue.The poor come to be viewed not by what they do,but by what is done to them.Social geometry:quantitative aspects of the group 1)dyad and triad 2)small group

24、s and larger ones A dyad depends on each of its two elements alonein its death though not in life:for its life it needs both,but for its death only one.In the dyad,each participant is immediately and directly responsible for any collective action.dyadtriad The triad is the simplest structure in whic

25、h the group as a whole can achieve domination over its component members;it provides a social framework that allows the constraining of individual participants for collective purposes.In small groups,members typically have a chance to interact directly with one another;once the group exceeds a relat

26、ively limited size,such interaction must be mediated through formal arrangements.The smaller the group,the greater the involvement of its members.The larger group demands less of its members.secrecy Every human relation is characterized,among other things,by the amount of secrecy that is in and arou

27、nd it.Although secrecy has no immediate connection with evil,evil has an immediate connection with secrecy.For the average man,all superior persons and all superior achievements have something mysterious.In small groups it is difficult to keep secrets.Secrets are not needed in small groups.With grow

28、ing cultural expediency,general affairs became ever more public,and individual affairs ever more secret.The philosophy of money Money in the modern world is more than a standard of value and a means of exchange;it symbolizes and embodies the modern spirit of rationality,of calculability,of impersona

29、lity.Everything boils down to dollars and cents instead of emotional value.Everything valuable can be compared to money.Sociology of the sexes Gender status is absolute for women,but relative for men.Housekeeping is a domain of female activity;it is their natural profession.Modernization changed the

30、 social position of women,but these changes did not affect different social strata in the same way.The female brain is smaller in size,which explains the more modest powers of abstraction in women.Women have psychic dispositions that differ from those of men.As a result,they cannot succeed in the ma

31、le world of work unless they learn to behave like men.For women to completely deploy their abilities,it is necessary that they go their own ways and create occupations of their own.Equity knows no difference in sexes.“Christmas wont be Christmas without any presents,”grumbled Jo,lying on the rug.“it

32、s so dreadful to be poor!”sighed Meg,looking down at her old dress.“I dont think its fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things,and other girls nothing at all,”added Amy,with an injured sniff.-L.M.Alcott Little Women M：I have my doubts about you，of courseDont think I havent noticed your lac

33、k of enthusiasm，or those sighs or faces you make when I ask you to do something that you quite obviously dont feel like doingIm hoping thats just a sign of your immaturity，since you do seem reasonably competent in other areasWhat exactly are you interested in doing?A：Well，actually，its not that l don

34、t love fashion,because of course I doWho wouldnt?Its just that Ive always dreamt of becoming a writer，so I was hoping that might，uh，be an area l could explore M：Well，I certainly have no idea if you can write a word or not,but Im not opposed to having you write some short pieces for the magazine to f

35、ind out.As long as it doesnt interfere with your responsibilities for me,and is done only during your own time,of course.A:Of course,of course,that would be wonderful.I have no doubt that some of you who read this book are unable to pay for all the dinners which you have actually eaten,or for the co

36、ats and shoes which are fast wearing or are already worn out,and have come to this page to spend borrowed or stolen time,robbing your creditors of an hour.-H.D.Thoreau Walden Most men,even in this comparatively free country,cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men;his labor would be de

37、preciated in the market.He has no time to be anything but a machine.-H.D.Thoreau Walden“她说话的声音有些激奋，”我说，“声音充满了”我迟疑了一下，“充满了钱，”，他忽然说。对了，我以前还没有明白过来。充满了钱的声音她声音之美，她说话时抑扬顿挫带有的无穷魅力就在于其中有钱，她的声音就像金钱叮当的歌声。-Fitzgerald 大亨传 方老太太道：“不知道那位孙小姐是个什么样子，鸿渐真糊涂，照片也不寄一张！”遯翁向二媳妇手里要过信来看道:“他信上说她性情柔顺。”像一切教育程度不高的人，方老太太对于白纸上写的黑字非

38、常迷信，可是她起了一个人文地理的疑问：“她是不是外省人？外省人的脾气总带点儿蛮，跟咱们合不来的。”鸿渐:“这家伙，结婚都不通知一声，也不寄张结婚照来。我很愿意你看看这位赵太太呢。”“我不看也想得出。辛楣看中的女人，汪太太，苏小姐，我全瞻仰过了。想来也是那一派。”-钱钟书围城 他发现苏小姐有不少小孩子脾气，她会顽皮，会娇痴，这是他一向没有想到的。可是不知怎样，他老觉得这种小妞儿腔跟苏小姐不顶配。苏小姐道：“鲍小姐行为太不像女学生，打扮也够丢人。”商人终究是商人，他们看咱们方家现在失势了。这种鄙吝势利的暴发户，咱们不稀罕和他们做亲家。-钱钟书围城 我自己觉得年纪老了；有些事，除了我们俩，没有别人知

39、道。(我要乘我们夫妻都健在，一一记下。如有错误，他可以指出，我可以改正。)-杨绛The sharing of common secrets implies an intimate relationship.等你回家 窗外的大雨不停下，我在等着你回家。今天的份儿钱够了吧，差不多就收吧。一个人有一个家，等待的温暖。淋湿了头发会有人擦。桌上的饭菜热了又凉，你怎么还没到家？打开收音机收听路况信息，猜猜你在哪里。咱们全家的照片在你车里挂，安全驾驶你可别忘了。亲爱的，我在等你回家。天黑了我放心不下 太远的地方就不要去了。你说你是我遮风挡雨的伞，下辈子我还要在这把伞下。苏小姐是最理想的女朋友，有头脑、有身份、态度相貌算得上大家闺秀，和她上饭馆戏院并不失自己的面子。别怀疑 我为什么爱你 就像云恋风、风恋着雨 其实我也不太懂这是什么道理 我想这就好像呼吸，不用练习 因为是你 “那位苏小姐怎么样了？只要你真喜欢她，爸爸和我总照着你意思办，只要你称心。”方鸿渐禁不住脸红道：“我和她早不来往了”。遯翁彻底了解地微笑道：“是不是吵嘴闹翻了？这也是少年男女间常有的事，吵一次，感情好一次这时候要有个第三者出来转圜，只有我老头子出面做和事老 -钱钟书围城 苏小姐 给鲍小姐打了一下，她便说：“孙太太，你评评理。叫她小宝贝还要挨打！”