Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin - Essay Example

Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin Table of contents Introduction 2. Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin attitudes of modernity and urban experience 3. Conclusion 1. Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin were famous and interesting German philosophers who lived in the end of the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th centuries. They both contributed a lot in philosophical and sociological approaches concerning urban culture and the human position in contemporary economical, political and cultural conditions. There is necessity to know and understand different features of modern urban life and the place of a man in modern city. This issue is increasingly important in this age of rapid growing of cities and environmental changes, and the ideas of Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin can help to realize these problems. The philosophical and sociological views of Simmel and Benjamin differ from each other in some aspects, but in many points of view they have the same opinions. This paper will demonstrate both authors' positions on modern and post-modern urban experience and a new politics of vision, new understanding of modern city and mass media influence on human life. 2. Georg Simmel lived in Berlin the most part of his life, and this fact of his biography predetermined his views on modern urban life. In his best known essay The Metropolis and Mental Life Simmel "analyzes individual life in the context of modern, metropolitan life, contrasting the social forces and structures of urban life with those of traditional rural and small town settings" (Micro Approaches and Simmel). In this work Georg Simmel underlined that in conditions of modern city and urban society an individual can successfully develop his skills and abilities, as the economical and political situation of modern and post-modern community promotes individual freedom and flexibility. But in the other hand in modern urban society an individual is under pressure of numerous factors and restrictions, as "the metropolis is a site or location for social life where the larger structures, forms of contact, and forces such as the money economy threaten 'the autonomy and individuality' of the individual" (Micro Approaches and Simmel). So, the situation in modern urban cities leads to the new politics of vision, when an individual has to perceive everything from the point of view of modern urban experience. Simmel underlined that "the city conspires to erase difference by assaulting the individual with an overwhelming and never-ending stream of visual stimuli" (Byram, 2002). This vision is inherent to the spacing theory of scientific rationalism, modern and post-modern experience which fills the space with giant cubic forms suppressing the consciousness of people and their freedom. Simmel asserted that "the urban eye must see fast and understand at a glance while walking among the crowd" (Erickson, 2001). All these features form a certain type of people living in large cities in post-modern urban atmosphere. In Simmel's opinion, our society consists of individuals who interact with each other, and this interacting forms features and specificity of our society: "While there is no perception of society until individuals begin to interact, once formed by the interaction of individuals, the society affects the individuals as an outside force" (Crow Ch., et al., 2000). So, taking into account the modern development of such communication means as telephone, telegraph and the Internet one can say that our society has high level of interactions, and, according Georg Simmel, we have high level of social development. He also underlined that post-modern urban life destroyed differences, and people try to make differences inside themselves: "Precisely because conditions conspire to destroy difference, however, the individual feels herself driven to cultivate uniqueness and have it noticed" (Byram, 2002). Walter Benjamin's position is reflected in his main works The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and Arcades Project. Benjamin considered modern urban experience and a new politics of vision through the development of technologies. He underlined that "because of mechanical reproduction, art loses its authenticity. But this is good, because it democratizes and politicizes art" (Bicket, 2001). So, he asserted that modern urban experience makes art popular, and people become free. Simmel also underlined that metropolis allows individuals to develop their freedom and art. But in the other hand, Simmel asserted that post-modern urban spirit threats individuality (see above). As well as Simmel, Benjamin had positive attitude to communications development: "Benjamin is positive about new technologies, emphasizing their liberating, democratizing influences. This put him at odds with the dominant elitist strain of modernism of the early 20th century" (Bicket, 2001). Simmel gave more social approach to the communication technologies as interactions between people asserting that they form our society, but Benjamin wrote about the positive attitude to such technologies as film and photography: "New media technologies such as phonographs, epic theatre, and especially film and photography, not only destroy art's 'aura' but demystifies the process of creating art, making available radical new access and roles for art in mass culture" (Bicket, 2001). With the development of photography and film human perception is changed, and the understanding of modern and post-modern urban reality is also transformed. 3. The paper has demonstrated two authors' positions on modern and post-modern urban experience and their attitude to mass media and technology development. Both Simmel and Benjamin underlined the importance of technological development and its influence on art, culture and our understanding of social environment. They underlined positive and negative approaches of modern and post-modern urban experience and explained the influence of urban life on people. Simmel's views are more approached to the negative and depressing influence of urban life on individuals, while those of Benjamin are more inclined to the positive perception of technological and cultural aspects of modern and post-modern urban society. Sources Bicket D. (2001). Walter Benjamin. Kiss cultural theory. http://www.tranquileye.com/mirrors/panop/author_B.htm. Accessed 7.01.2006 Byram K. (2002). Georg Simmel "Die Grostdte und das Geistesleben" (1903). From Structuralism to Globalization Studies. Summaries. http://www.butterflystorm.com/Work/TheorySummaries/Theory%20Summaries.htm. Accessed 7.01.2006 Crow Ch., Min D. & Lively B., PhD (2000). Cultivation Community: Influences that Unite Us. Association of Nazarene Sociologists of Religion. http://www.nazarene.org/ansr/articles/crow_lively_00.pdf. Accessed 7.01.2006 Erickson V. (2001). On the town with Georg Simmel: a socio-religious understanding of urban interaction. http://www.crosscurrents.org/erickson0151.htm. Accessed 7.01.2006 Sociology 250 (October 30, 2002). Micro Approaches and Simmel. http://uregina.ca/gingrich/o3002.htm. Accessed 7.01.2006 Read More