Metropolis And Mental Life
Lindsey Wegner
Professor Frizzell
ARTH 2500-60 Modern Art II
6 February 2014
Georg Simmel’s “A Metropolis and Mental Life” Georg Simmel wrote “The Metropolis And Mental Life” as part of a larger series of lectures about how the big cities are taking over and man is being changed by a rapidly evolving society. Although it was written in the early 20th century, a lot of what he writes about the thriving cities and contemporary towns still applies to what goes on today. Georg Simmel talks about how men should slowly develop on their own and not be forced into a fast, dramatic change. The change in the 19th century demanded the specialization of men and their work. That change made each person a crucial part of evolvement. However, that trait also made men dependent on others around them. Nietzsche, a German philosopher, believed in the forced termination of any competition to avoid being stressed out and worked down by …show more content…
The stimulation also comes from momentary impressions that end up becoming habitual tasks. Simmel says that habitual tasks take less consciousness and less mental work to complete. That minimizes the onrush of unexpectedness and lessens the stress on the people in the cities. The mind of the modern person is all about money. Everything is made into a math problem and interactions with others are less personal and lack the emotional connection they once had. These short encounters with people make are because of the differences of so many people, that each has their own things to do. Simmel also talks about the other side of living in the cities. He says that the smaller communities can get boring and going to a new evolving city gives people room to grow how they want. It gives people individual space and the freedom to define themselves how they
Professor Frizzell
ARTH 2500-60 Modern Art II
6 February 2014
Georg Simmel’s “A Metropolis and Mental Life” Georg Simmel wrote “The Metropolis And Mental Life” as part of a larger series of lectures about how the big cities are taking over and man is being changed by a rapidly evolving society. Although it was written in the early 20th century, a lot of what he writes about the thriving cities and contemporary towns still applies to what goes on today. Georg Simmel talks about how men should slowly develop on their own and not be forced into a fast, dramatic change. The change in the 19th century demanded the specialization of men and their work. That change made each person a crucial part of evolvement. However, that trait also made men dependent on others around them. Nietzsche, a German philosopher, believed in the forced termination of any competition to avoid being stressed out and worked down by …show more content…
The stimulation also comes from momentary impressions that end up becoming habitual tasks. Simmel says that habitual tasks take less consciousness and less mental work to complete. That minimizes the onrush of unexpectedness and lessens the stress on the people in the cities. The mind of the modern person is all about money. Everything is made into a math problem and interactions with others are less personal and lack the emotional connection they once had. These short encounters with people make are because of the differences of so many people, that each has their own things to do. Simmel also talks about the other side of living in the cities. He says that the smaller communities can get boring and going to a new evolving city gives people room to grow how they want. It gives people individual space and the freedom to define themselves how they