Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/749

 THE PRESENT STATUS OF SOCIOLOGY IN GERMANY 733

than anything before, and one may claim that this prospect is assured by the fact that acquired science and broadened aesthetic perspective afford an unprecedented basis for an improved social condition. This view in turn could maintain itself against all criticism.

But when we come to objective scientific truth, criticism must challenge many fundamental principles of Tonnies' theory. In the first place there is no such sharp discrepancy between "society" and "community" as Tonnies alleges. When the circumference of the community widens, there still remains within it room for closer and smaller circles. In fact in our society the most intimate bonds of blood relationship, of neigh- borship, and of friendship, have by no means ceased to be. Con- sequently the "essential will" remains and works parallel with "arbitrariness." Again Tonnies regards trade \Tauschverkchr) as the central activity of society, and indeed as its "root." But trade is, in idea and essence, only a function, not even an essen- tial trait, least of all the "root" of society.

What Tonnies entirely overlooks, and Biicher rightly empha- sizes, is the principle of nationality. There is a temptation to adapt Tonnies' terminology to the service of this principle. A national state is a " community." It cannot be denied that nationality in today's form, and in its historical efficiency, in spite of all crossings and comminglings of races, includes almost all the qualities which Tonnies predicates of a "community." Moreover in society, even of the loosest sort as it appeared to Tonnies, there is an undeniable interworking of the members upon each other. The mere fact that individuals are together has, as a consequence, a reciprocity of influence among them. It cannot, therefore, be seriously contended that in society individ- uals arc independent of each other. Simmel indeed has con- tended 1 that reciprocal influence (Wechselwirkung) is the sole dis- coverable mark of the concept society. " There is no such thing," says Simmel, "as a societary entity, from the unitary character of

1 Uebtr soziale Differ emirung. Sociologische und psychologische Untersuchun- gen. Leipzig, 1890.