People inevitably perceive others through generalization because full individual knowledge is impossible

Evidence

We see the other person generalized, in some measure. This is so, perhaps, because we cannot fully represent to ourselves an individuality which deviates from our own. Any re-creation of a person is determined by one’s similarity to him. … It seems, however, that every individual has in himself a core of individuality which cannot be re-created by anybody else whose core differs qualitatively from his own. And the challenge to re-create is logically incompatible with psychological distance and objective judgment which are also bases for representing another. We cannot know completely the individuality of another. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 173

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the reader’s thesis: Simmel’s account of perceptual generalization underlies how the flâneur/stranger categorizes the urban other. — connects to: Overwhelming objective culture forces individuals to exaggerate their peculiarities — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 760; Every person is perceived as both unique individual and general type — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 174; Social generalization, though distorting, is what makes social relations possible — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 177 (+7 more)
• ADDENDUM: Connects to ‘Complaints About Immodesty Go Way Back’ via the theme of how the observer imposes types/categories on those perceived, though the link is thematic rather than case-specific.

Related

• Every person is perceived as both unique individual and general type (similarity 0.89)
• Social generalization, though distorting, is what makes social relations possible (similarity 0.83)
• Strangers are perceived by type rather than as individuals (similarity 0.83)
• The three dimensions of influence generalization cannot be separated in practice (similarity 0.81)
• Overwhelming objective culture forces individuals to exaggerate their peculiarities (similarity 0.80)
• Each person is a fragment even of their own singular type (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Strangers are perceived by type rather than as individuals #corroborates (0.85) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 401
• Other minds as alter egos intensify complexity, requiring language to reduce it #expands (0.78)
• Social generalization, though distorting, is what makes social relations possible #expands (0.75) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 177