Georg Simmel’s Category Of "Distance"

Georg Simmel is one of the representative scholars of classical sociology,and he made a unique contribution to the establishment and professional development of early sociology.He was an early European scholar known to American sociology,and the concept of “Social distance” was born out of the spread of Georg Simmel’s theory in the American.Social distance came from Georg Simmel’s essay the Stranger,a synthesis of near and far,with characteristics of liquidity and objectivity.But Georg Simmel’s use of distance was not limited to the sociology of space.According to Levine and Frisby,distance played a more important role in Georg Simmel’s theory,it can be interpreted as a key structural concept in a social form,or as an aesthetic position of distance.This paper attempts to discuss the more crucial role and position of distance in Georg Simmel’s theory,and argues that distance can be regarded as a theoretical perspective or an analytical category to interpret Georg Simmel’s epistemological basis and methodological features.Distance can be regarded as a cognitive premise,which accords with the generative and relational characteristics embodied in the world picture of modern society.According to a cognitive distance,the separation and combination of subject and object can be realized,and in the relationship between form and content,distance can show the degree of validity of formal interpretation.In sociological methodology,Georg Simmel also insisted on sociology as a visual angle based on a cognitive distance premise and relational existence of knowledge.In formal sociology,Georg Simmel emphasizes the influence of a social prior condition,and the use of distance or space in social forms shows Georg Simmel’s treatment and presentation of such a prior condition.In addition,Georg Simmel’s use of distance also shows a style of “Symbol” or “Metaphor”,which points out his basic position of constructing social forms,namely,to insist on sociology as a theoretical perspective,pay attention to the special research object pointed by this angle of view,the construction of “Distance” to social phenomenon reflects this standpoint.In the context of modernity,the individual’s distancing way of life shows the developing trend of dualistic opposition in modern society.The “Stranger” in modern society is a special relationship between man and society,and there is also a complicated distance relationship between society and history,Georg Simmel’s philosophy of history tries to highlight the status of mind in the form of history through the transcendental perspective of “How history is possible”.Whether it is the broader social development and historical process,or the individual’s modern way of life,can be presented as a distant picture,as a fixed center,the self,the soul or the life maintain the relationship with the oneself content,the society and the whole world by some distance(form),and get renewal and transcendence in the continuous development of the relationship.Finally,the interpretation of distance as an analytic category is still an attempt to bring some enlightenment from a new perspective,together with the various paths of Georg Simmel’s theoretical research to construct the rich connotation of Georg Simmel’s theory.