Kuznetsov I. (2019) Metafizicheskaya (kvazireligioznaya) priroda doveriya v rabotakh Georga Simmelya [The metaphysical (quasi-religious) nature of trust in Georg Simmel’s works]. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii [The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology], n.22(2). Pp. 7–33. (in Russian). https: ...

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Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of theoretical issues of trust, which is possible thanks to analyses of Simmel’s texts on religion and the philosophy of life. It enables the author to detect not only the key elements that are currently being developed in the different concepts, but also new ideas, which specify the nature of the trust and its role in modern social relations. The basic intuition Simmel is associated with is the understanding of trust as «metaphysical» or «quasi-religious» faith. The article shows that this understanding opens up new opportunities for overcoming the limitations connected with the dominance of sociological views on the nature of trust relationships. At the same time, the metaphysical aspect of trust still remains without sufficient attention. And those few researchers, who put such trust in the spotlight, do not follow Simmel until the end. They borrow explanation and insight from other conceptual models. Similarly, Guido Möllering, who made a great contribution to the explication of Simmel’s views on the religious aspect of trust, follows the same way. To clarify the content of trust, he also turns to the intuitions of other authors, but not to Simmel’s texts on religion. As a result, the metaphysical (religious) aspect is mentioned partially and in a reduced form. In contrast, in the article the author focuses on the position of Simmel. He clarifies the concept of «quasi-religious faith» through a direct appeal to his texts on religion. Further, he shows that the religiosity of trust is directly related to his philosophy of life (Lebensphilosophie), and can be rethought in accordance with the basic principle of life — immanent transcendence. By virtue of this principle, trust is able to maintain social relations, regardless of any utilitarian, cognitive or similar kinds of restrictions.