From this it might seem that his view of life is starkly and utterly pessimistic. What such a conclusion overlooks is that the inevitable conflicts Simmel identifies are not all of a piece. Some are tonic and constructive; others, though costly and painful, are historically productive. Only in certain determinate areas are conflicts inescapably tragic.

DEFINE: Distinguishes among types of inevitable conflict in Simmel's framework, clarifying that only some are 'inescapably tragic.'

DEFINE: Introduces a conceptual framework distinguishing types of conflict in Simmel's sociology, keyed to the annotation about meaning clarification.

Georg Simmel, on individuality and social…, loc. 92