Individualization loosens ties with the near to enable ties with the distant

Evidence

So it is that the observation made at the beginning of this section has its justification: differentiation and individualization loosen the bond of the individual with those who are most near in order to weave in its place a new one—both real and ideal—with those who are more distant. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 603

Categorization

• XREF: Directly connects to the flâneur thesis: urban strangers (Lofland’s categorization) replace intimate near-ties — the theoretical hinge the essay’s causal chain needs. — 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; Rare and brief city encounters push people to stylize themselves as sharply individualized — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 759 (+13 more)
• ADDENDUM: Parallels the stranger chapter and Lofland’s stranger-categorization logic; and the sacrifice article’s near/distant communal bonds.

Related

• Individuality increases as the social circle expands (similarity 0.84)
• Widely shared similarities cool connections into a sense of contingency (similarity 0.83)
• The most urban-inept strangers can be the most warmly treated (similarity 0.82)
• Modernity transforms friendship’s opposite from enemy to mere acquaintance (similarity 0.81)
• Larger social circles expand possibilities for developing unique inner lives. (similarity 0.81)
• Shared universal traits make the stranger simultaneously near and far (similarity 0.80)
• Expanded social circles throw the individual back upon himself (similarity 0.80)
• Strangeness is a specific proportion of nearness and distance (similarity 0.79)
• Rare and brief city encounters push people to stylize themselves as sharply individualized (similarity 0.79)
• Greatly widened circles permit misanthropic detachment and extreme individualism (similarity 0.79)
• Individualism of equality and individualism of inequality both require large social circles. (similarity 0.79)
• The individual’s inner mental relations mirror social relations among persons (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Modernity transforms friendship’s opposite from enemy to mere acquaintance #expands (0.82) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 280
• Individuality increases as the social circle expands #corroborates (0.70) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 591
• Greatly widened circles permit misanthropic detachment and extreme individualism #corroborates (0.60) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 648
• Individual diversity can be conceived as a division of labor among unique beings #expands (0.55) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 691
• Rare and brief city encounters push people to stylize themselves as sharply individualized #corroborates (0.50) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 759
• Widely shared similarities cool connections into a sense of contingency #corroborates (0.50) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 396