Sociology studies abstract forms of interaction as geometry studies spatial forms

Evidence

Sociology, the discipline that deals with the purely social aspects of man (who, of course, can be an object of scientific inquiry in innumerable other respects), is related to the other special sciences of man as geometry is related to the physicochemical sciences. Geometry studies the forms through which any material becomes an empirical body, and these forms as such exist, of course, in abstraction only, precisely like the forms of sociation. Both geometry and sociology leave to other sciences the investigation of the contents realized in the forms, that is, the total phenomena whose forms they explore. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 200

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes sociology’s province as the forms of sociation abstracted from content, the founding premise behind Simmel’s analyses of the stranger and the metropolis.
• XREF: connects to: Sociology relates to social sciences as geometry relates to physics. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 45; Simmel advanced technical sociology mainly as a byproduct of metaphysical concerns — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 117; A science of society must study only forms of interaction — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 196 (+7 more)

Related

• Sociology relates to social sciences as geometry relates to physics. (similarity 0.94)
• A science of society must study only forms of interaction (similarity 0.92)
• Sociology’s proper object is the forms relating two or more individuals (similarity 0.88)
• Sociology treats psychological processes only as carriers of social forms (similarity 0.87)
• Simmel advanced technical sociology mainly as a byproduct of metaphysical concerns (similarity 0.86)
• Social relations can be analyzed purely as formal configurations (similarity 0.85)
• The formal content distinction in sociology can only be illustrated, not yet defined (similarity 0.83)
• Society names both actual human networks and the abstract forms of sociality (similarity 0.83)
• Any social group can act as individual or aggregate depending on its relational frame. (similarity 0.81)
• Sociology studies men only insofar as interaction forms and determines them as groups. (similarity 0.81)
• Individual motives become social only through forms of mutual interaction (similarity 0.80)
• Sociology is one method among many, not a master science (similarity 0.80)
• Social forms must be abstracted from many historical instances (similarity 0.80)
• Society is a concrete generality neither reducible to individuals nor abstract (similarity 0.79)
• There is no single legitimate abstract sociology but several coexisting kinds. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Forms of interaction retain identity across varied contents and historical settings #expands (0.70) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 202
• Social forms must be abstracted from many historical instances #corroborates (0.70) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 60
• Identical interaction forms recur across radically different social groups #exemplifies (0.60) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 198
• Society names both actual human networks and the abstract forms of sociality #expands (0.60) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 896
• Social forms can be classified by the interpersonal distances they create #expands (0.50) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 81