摘要：In the first part of his career Georg Simmel wrote a short text about selection theory, which never reached popularity of his better known sociological publications. In it he employed evolutionary theory and pragmatism, which he later abandoned in favor of formal sociology. Based on that paper Simmel could be considered as one of the founders of selection theory, i. e. evolutionary epistemology. In this paper it is argued that selection theory does not need to imply relativism, as Simmel thought, and that hypothetical realism is a consequence of evolutionary processes. Also, it is shown that selection theory must take into account social processes if it wants to be relevant.
关键词：Georg Simmel; evolutionary epistemology/selection theory; realism; relativism; truth
