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 320 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

Other circles, and that the boundary Hnes are vague. The center remains, however, fixed in its place,

I pass, then, to the task of proving the fertility of this central concept and problem in the case of specific investigations. I am far from making the claim of approximating the number of those forms of reciprocity which constitute society. My analysis merely shows the way which may lead to the scientific discrimina- tion of the whole scope of society from the totality of life. At all events I desire to show this way by myself taking the first steps in it.^-

^ Forestudies for the contents of Simmel's volume have already appeared in this Journal as follows: Chap, ii ("Die quantitative Bestimmtheit der Gruppe"), under the title, "The Number of Members as Determining the Sociological Form of the Group," Vol. VIII, pp. i and 158; chap, iii ("Ueber- und Unterordnung"), under the title, "Superiority and Subordination as Subject-Matter of Sociology," Vol II, pp. 167 and 392 ; chap iv ("Der Streit"), under the title, "The Sociology of Conflict," Vol. IX, pp. 490, 567, 798 ; chap, v ("Das Geheimnis und die geheime Gesellschaft"), under the title "The Sociology of Secrecy and Secret Societies," Vol. XI, p. 441 ; chap, viii ("Die Selbsterhaltung der Gruppe"), under the title, "The Persistence of Social Groups," Vol. Ill, pp. 662 and 829, and Vol. IV, p. 35.