This paper poses a simple question that is hard to answer: what does Simmel mean by “form” in Sociology? We pursue this question in three major steps: First we articulate why it is important to understand what Simmel means by form in Sociology; second we explain why it is difficult to understand Simmel’s notion of form; and third we develop what might be considered a pragmatist answer: namely, that there is no single meaning but that depending on his argumentative purposes, Simmel utilizes at least three different but interrelated notions, which we designate as “geometric,” “transcendental,” and “vitalist.”

中文翻译：

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齐美尔社会学中的三个形式概念

这篇论文提出了一个很难回答的简单问题：齐美尔在社会学中的“形式”是什么意思？我们分三个主要步骤来探讨这个问题：首先，我们阐明为什么理解齐美尔在社会学中所指的形式很重要；其次，我们解释为什么很难理解齐美尔的形式概念；第三，我们提出了一个可能被认为是实用主义的答案：也就是说，没有单一的意义，但根据他的论证目的，齐美尔至少使用了三个不同但相互关联的概念，我们将它们指定为“几何的”、“先验的”、和“活力主义者”。