Greatly widened circles permit misanthropic detachment and extreme individualism
Evidence
If freedom swings to extremes; if the largest group, as I indicated above, affords greater play to extreme formations and malformations of individualism, to misanthropic detachment, to baroque and moody life styles, to crass egoism—then all this is merely the consequence of the wider group’s requiring less of us, of its being less concerned with us, and thus of its lesser hindering of the full development even of perverse impulses. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 648
Categorization
- XREF: Highly relevant to the essay’s thesis on the blasé attitude and unreliable observer — Simmel directly names the psychic costs of enlarged circles. — connects to: Extreme individualist critiques flourish precisely because cities breed them — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 760; Individuality increases as the social circle expands — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 591; Individualization loosens ties with the near to enable ties with the distant — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 603 (+6 more)
- SEED: The phrase ‘misanthropic detachment’ as a direct prefiguring of the flâneur’s estrangement could anchor the essay paragraph linking Simmel’s model to Julius.
Related
- Expanded social circles throw the individual back upon himself (similarity 0.90)
- Individuality increases as the social circle expands (similarity 0.89)
- Larger social circles encourage individual freedom; smaller ones restrict it (similarity 0.86)
- Larger social circles expand possibilities for developing unique inner lives. (similarity 0.81)
- In narrow circles individuality requires leadership or complete inner independence (similarity 0.81)
- The narrow circle and the large circle yield equal life chances (similarity 0.80)
- Extreme social control occurs in both the widest and narrowest circles simultaneously (similarity 0.79)
- Individualization loosens ties with the near to enable ties with the distant (similarity 0.79)
- Individualism of equality and individualism of inequality both require large social circles. (similarity 0.78)
- Each person holds a constant ratio of individual to social factors (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Expanded social circles throw the individual back upon himself
#corroborates(0.75) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 699 - Larger social circles expand possibilities for developing unique inner lives.
#corroborates(0.65) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 655 - Larger social circles encourage individual freedom; smaller ones restrict it
#expands(0.60) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 642