The major aspect of a large metropolis is the fact that it encompasses various activities ranging from personal to social. Actually, most of it involves having to sacrifice their distinctiveness in an endeavor to fit in such scenarios. However, Georg Simmel portrays a different side of a large metropolis, whereby it does not only influence the emotional aspects of its occupants, but also their cognitive lives. Moreover, the hustle and bustle of such cities bring impacts most individual’s sense and expression of autonomy and individuality. So as to comprehend how this happens, there is a need to understand the nature of the society before narrowing down to the individual aspects. In his analysis, Simmel describes a society as a form of association
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According to Simmel, social differentiation is the root to all endeavors to attain individualism. The occurrence of social differentiation is mainly based on differentiated societies, with the ability to perform varied tasks. Since the population in a large metropolis is quite high, there is an increased competition over every scarce resource leading to the emergence of individualism. On the other hand, social circles’ (societies, groups, and communities) expansion in a large metropolis involves differentiation, which leads to the weakening of social control, and the escalation of individual autonomy. Actually, it is quite apparent that homogeneous and small communities have more control over their members compared to large societies where individuals are more …show more content…
However, other factors available within the metropolis are contributing to individuality. For instance, money not only allows the expansion of trade, but also liberates individuality. It gives an individual the freedom to act on his or her own; however, it brings about the risk of alienation. Money encourages rational exchanges between economic persons, while discouraging all social relationships. Simmel believes that money, together with logic and law, are forces of modernity which broaden the gap between individual life and objective culture. A large metropolis has become a source of different factors that perpetuate an individual’s quest for freedom and in turn alienated him or her from
According to Simmel, social differentiation is the root to all endeavors to attain individualism. The occurrence of social differentiation is mainly based on differentiated societies, with the ability to perform varied tasks. Since the population in a large metropolis is quite high, there is an increased competition over every scarce resource leading to the emergence of individualism. On the other hand, social circles’ (societies, groups, and communities) expansion in a large metropolis involves differentiation, which leads to the weakening of social control, and the escalation of individual autonomy. Actually, it is quite apparent that homogeneous and small communities have more control over their members compared to large societies where individuals are more …show more content…
However, other factors available within the metropolis are contributing to individuality. For instance, money not only allows the expansion of trade, but also liberates individuality. It gives an individual the freedom to act on his or her own; however, it brings about the risk of alienation. Money encourages rational exchanges between economic persons, while discouraging all social relationships. Simmel believes that money, together with logic and law, are forces of modernity which broaden the gap between individual life and objective culture. A large metropolis has become a source of different factors that perpetuate an individual’s quest for freedom and in turn alienated him or her from