Stranger -Simmel And Schutz

12 Pages 2913 Words

, he fails to explain the significance of this, besides the fact that it is another form of positive participation on behalf of the stranger.
“The proportion of nearness and remoteness which gives the stranger the character of objectivity also finds practical expression in the more abstract nature of the relation to him (118-119).” In a typical group, the members have certain qualities among them alike, which make them unique from other groups. However, in the case of the stranger, the only qualities he has in common with the group are general qualities as opposed to the more specific traits the group shares which differentiates them from other groups. In Simmel’s words, the stranger “is close to us insofar as we feel between him and ourselves similarities of nationality or social position, of occupation or of general human nature. He is far from us insofar as these similarities extend beyond him and us, and connect us only because they connect a great many people (119).” He also believes this sense of “strangeness” can b...