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Georg Simmel's

'The Metropolis & Mental Life'


KUMPULAN CUBEC

MOHD NIZAMUDDIN BIN ABDUL RAHMAN


NUR FAIDAH BINTI ALDAM
FATIN FARHANA BINTI MOHAMAD
SITI NUR HIDAYAH BINTI MAHDIZAM
This essay, which was written in 1903, is one of
Georg Simmel's most popular works. It was
originally conducted as one of a series of
lectures which were based on all aspects of city
life by experts in various fields, ranging from
science and religion to art
- It is an in depth discussion about the individual's situation in a big
city urban life and how an individual copes with it psychologically.

- With Metropolis and the Mental Life Simmel is one of the first
academics to examine the conditions of the modern city, he
claims that the city harvests conditions of behaviour which is
unimaginable to those in the country.
"The deepest problems of modern life originates from
the claim of the individual to preserve the
independence and individuality of his existence in the
face of overwhelming social forces, of historical
heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of
life.

- George Simmel-
Simmel shows concern regarding the effects of the impersonality and
control of the modern city on an individual.

He claims that the metropolitans reacts primarily in a rational manner


rather than reacting emotionally, thus creating a mental predominance
through the increase of awareness of the environment around them.

City people must deal with a continuously changing setting, and


therefore they must adapt to the circumstances by having, what seems to
be, a blas or a nonchalant attitude to protect themselves.
blas (adj)

1. indifferent to something because of familiarity or


surfeit
2. lacking enthusiasm; bored
Simmel believes that in cities individuals are bound, and even
expected, to be selfish. This is due to the fact that relationships are
based on the advantages it brings along with it. This happens
because people are slaves of the time and constantly working
under the clock.

Human interaction in the metropolis is quite short and more often


than not it is instrumental, this leads to a lack emotional relationships.
Therefore the metropolis mental life is fundamentally intellectual, not
emotional.
The positive aspect of this is that no one is intrusive about what you are
buying or what you are doing with your life, but the negative aspect would
be that they will draw their own conclusions based on a shallow judgement of
what your possible motives could be.

Hence, Simmel sees the metropolis as being a place of liberation from the
suffocating mentality of the small community found outside the city. This is
very advantageous as it grants the individual to have more space and
freedom to independently define himself rather than being imposed on by
others.
Furthermore, due to the fact that the city is so impersonal and detached Simmel
even observes that a regression of the culture of the individual occurs to people
who move to the metropolis, during his era. This occurs because individuals give
more effort trying to be unique and original in any way possible.

Ultimately, Simmel states, that due to the mass accumulation of individuals and
objects, in the city, people become numb to their surroundings. Hence in order to
keep grasp of their humanity, in a place that lacks it, their personality magnifies.
Such actions which are necessary in the city would be frowned upon in a small
town, whereas they are unnoticed in the city and thus providing the metropolitans
a freedom unachievable in the country.
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