Simmel, Georg

(born March 1, 1858, Berlin, Ger.—died Sept. 26, 1918, Strassburg) German sociologist and philosopher. From teaching posts at the universities of Berlin (1885–1914) and Strassburg (1914–18), Simmel did much to establish sociology as a basic social science in Germany. He sought to isolate the general forms or recurrent regularities of social interaction from the specific content of definite kinds of activity, such as political, economic, or aesthetic. He gave special attention to the problem of authority and obedience. His ideas became influential in the U.S. through the works of Robert E. Park, Albion Small, and Ernest Burgess. See also interactionism.

Find more information on Simmel, Georg. Upgrade to Britannica Online for more on Simmel, Georg.