The individual and society

Horst J. Helle

pp. 165-174

in: Cécile Rol, Christian Papilloud (eds), Soziologie als Möglichkeit, Wiesbaden, Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 2009

Abstract

Simmel observes that the individual minds, or selves — as G. H. Mead would say — have attained a level of development in the history of culture, at which they see themselves removed from the world as objective reality and as it were confronting it. This applies to the law, to religion, to various customs, in sum to culture that constitutes the objective mind (objektiver Geist; Simmel 1949: 311). The persons are indeed still the bearers of the objective mind, and the institutions are acknowledged as existing legitimately, regardless of how well they serve the individuals subjected to their influence.