Expanded social circles throw the individual back upon himself

Evidence

Along many dimensions, human nature and human situations are so positioned that when the individual’s relations begin to exceed a certain extensiveness, he becomes all the more thrown back upon himself. This is not only a matter of the quantitative extension of the circle, which must inevitably reduce the personal interestedness in it of each of its points down to a minimum; it is also a matter of qualitative diversification within the circle that impeded the focusing of interest upon any one point, and which thus leaves egoism as the logical outcome of the general paralysis of irreconcilable demands. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 699

Categorization

• XREF: This is the causal core of the essay: expanded circles (urban sprawl) produce self-containment/egoism that later becomes the blasé attitude and the unreliable observer Julius. — connects to: Individuality increases as the social circle expands — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 591; Greatly widened circles permit misanthropic detachment and extreme individualism — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 648; Larger social circles encourage individual freedom; smaller ones restrict it — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 642 (+9 more)
• SEED: Essay angle: Simmel’s own account here prefigures the blasé attitude as an egoistic retreat — a theoretical bridge from this chapter to “The Metropolis and Mental Life” for the Julius reading.

Related

• Greatly widened circles permit misanthropic detachment and extreme individualism (similarity 0.90)
• Individuality increases as the social circle expands (similarity 0.88)
• Larger social circles encourage individual freedom; smaller ones restrict it (similarity 0.83)
• Individualization loosens ties with the near to enable ties with the distant (similarity 0.80)
• In narrow circles individuality requires leadership or complete inner independence (similarity 0.80)
• Larger social circles expand possibilities for developing unique inner lives. (similarity 0.79)
• Overwhelming objective culture forces individuals to exaggerate their peculiarities (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Modern societies increasingly substitute self-presentation for feeling as a basis of trust #expands (0.72)
• Rare and brief city encounters push people to stylize themselves as sharply individualized #expands (0.55) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 759
• Liberated individuals turn from equality toward distinguishing themselves from others #expands (0.50) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 535
• Shame arises from individual isolation and dissolves within collective action #complicates (0.40) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 735