How Should We Read Simmel?
The availability of Simmel’s entire body of work allows us to once again examine the misunderstandings occasioned by his moderation of strictly scientific forms of inquiry in his later writings. The examination is not bounded by the outward aspects of his works, offering instead an opportunity to examine his style of thought and, thereby, the fundamental intent of his work, which involves a sustained effort to link sociology with philosophy. The analysis proceeds in three stages. First, a survey of the corpus of Simmel’s works will identify the (‘non-scientific’) elements in question. Subsequently, we examine the role of form in Simmel’s work and career, in his seminar practice, in his conception of sociology as centered on “forms of socialization,” and in the nature of the essay, in contrast with Adorno’s conceptions in particular. Finally, an analysis of the philosophical underpinnings of Simmel’s though on language will demonstrate clearly why he considered the question of scientific forms in contrast to the meaning of problems.