Tendencies in German Life and Thought since 1870

Abstract

As expressed in our previous issue, we intend this subsection on Intellectual History to advocate the legacy of those authors who have been our support and with whom we have enhanced our perspective. This time, we offer a translation into Spanish of Georg Simmel’s essay “Tendencies in German life and thought since 1870” . The original version in German is lost and currently the only available version is the English one for which Professor W. D. Briggs of the Western Reserve University of Ohio was in charge. That essay was published in 1902 in The international monthly. A magazine of contemporary thought , where Georg Simmel was a member of the advisory board for the sociology section. We consider this an invaluable piece in which Simmel sets forth his analytical acuity and his characteristic relationism when dealing with the diverse forms in which German life in the early 20th century was manifested and when presenting his particular reading of Kant, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. In addition, a variety of issues which occupied him throughout his intellectual path such as the philosophy of culture, the feminine culture, religion, and historical materialism among others are present. We also expect this text to be useful in order to complement and relate ideas from other similar essays by Simmel already translated into Spanish. To end, we would like to thank Emeritus Professor Otthein Rammstedt, editor of the Georg Simmel Gesamtausgabe, for allowing us to publish this translation. Einer Mosquera (Editor), University of Antioquia (Colombia) Coeditor of Digithum