Formal sociology is a
scientific approach to sociology developed by
Georg Simmel and
Leopold von Wiese
Leopold Max Walther von Wiese und Kaiserswaldau (2 December 1876, Glatz, German Empire – 11 January 1969, Cologne, West Germany) was a German sociologist and economist, as well as professor and chairman of the German Sociological Association ...
.
[Formal Sociology: The Sociology of Georg Simmel (Schools of Thought in Sociology), Larry Ray, Edward Elgar Pub, 1991] In his studies, Simmel was more focused on forms of social interactions rather than content. This is why his approach to sociology became labeled as formal sociology. In formal sociology, one formal concept can be applied to understand various events.
From Simmel's point of view, one form of a social phenomenon is always associated with many formal events. The aim of formal sociology is to reveal that although the process of social interaction may be very complex, the social forms of these interactions can be isolated and may even be found to be identical.
References
Critical theory
Social change
Social concepts
Sociological theories
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