Book Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Prometheus' legacy
Language is such a basic part of our lives that we little stop to consider its origins or the signifigance of those origins.

All the more reason for the importance of this book which anticipated modern anthropological findings about the nexus between language and religion over fifty years later.Though the book is by no means an easy read it was first on the scene in at least two important ways.

One, as mentioned, was its connection between language and myth in the first place.One only has to review the Wade book, "Before the Dawn" to see the truth of the thesis about the connection between religion and the birth of language (now dated to about fifty thousand years ago).

Two, like the later Lakoff and Johnson book "Metaphors We Live By" Cassirer was keen to observe the metaphorical structure of language by pressing pre existing cognitive systems into service for understanding more -- otherwise theoretical -- constructs.Unlike Lakoff and Johnson, however, Cassirer was working well before the advent of modern anthropology.

And additionally, the book gives some sense of the original revolutionary nature of language.Just as printing and more recently the internet would have powerful social impact, so language itself originally established a dramatic new matrix.

Have Yourself a Paradigm Shift
How can such a small, easy to read, & to the point book reveal so much? Ernst Cassirer is a philosophical genius who writes to the common man without all the typical wasted German idealist wording. Help yourself to question the beginning, the history, & the continuing changes of how language & myth intertwine, & limit our human experience. Great starting book for the Philosophical beginner, & if you like this book, try Ernst Cassirer's other well written, but larger book: "Essay on Man".

Not just good, but great reading!
My first book as a fledgling philosophy student was Cassirer's
work on the Enlightenment and I was in up over my head, but I stuck it out and learned a lot.So, when his book on myth and language came to my attention, I was familiar with the author and his reputation.I have not read the professional critiques on this work, but my personal opinion is that it is unique in every respect.I have not seen anything else that parallels the growth of myth (religion) and language as this does, nor have I seen anything that deals as effectively with the idea of epistemology that is quite apart from that of science and inductive probabilities.If you want to read what a brilliant man believes and substantiates about knowledge from a really different viewpoint, this may be the book for you.It is deep, but each page will grab you -- perhaps more than once.

brilliant
This little book is a revelation in 99 pages. It is highly theoretical and while it is not an easy read it is not beyond the comprehension of a layperson either. Cassirer's arguments lead me to think about language and consciousness itself in ways which I never have before, but which seem so amazingly right that I experienced many moments of epiphany. This book is an excellent rebuttal to the argument that reason is the origin and culmination of human thought and that all myth is rooted in ignorance (take that, Carl Sagan). If you are interested in theories of mythology and/or theories of language/linguistics, this book is a must.

Linguistic Evolution
I loved this book. If you are interested in linguistics and philosophy, this is the book. After reading this you may have a whole new perspective on the origins of language, that is if you are a student of linguistics. I highly recommend this to those interested in ancient texts and languages, myths, logic and the development of human intellect. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A philosophy of Man as symbol-maker
Cassier born in Breslau on July 28,1874 graduated from the University of Berlin and studied at Marburg. He taught at Berlin and Hamburg until the Nazis prompted his departure from Germany in 1932. He taught at Oxford and then at Yale , and finished his career at Columbia.
He began his work in the field of Epistemology , writing 'The Problem of Knowledge' and then 'Substance and Function' These preceded the work he is most known form the three-volume 'Philosophy of Symbolic Forms.'
The 'Essay on Man' was the major work of the last period of his life.It is in a sense a summary and precis of his earlier monumental work.
In it he asks the question which is first and fundamental to Philosophy as he sees it, the question of 'What is Man?'
His concluding words give the flavor of the whole.They show how hetries to comprehend all major areas of human endeavor in one unified philosophical structure.

"Human culture taken as a whole may be described as the process of man's progressive self- liberation. Language, art, religion, science , are various phases in the process.In all of them man discovers and proves a new power-the power to build upa world of his own, an "ideal"world. Philosophy cannot give up its search for a fundamental unity in this ideal world. But it does not confound this unity with simplicity. It does not overlook the tensions and frictions, the strong contrasts, and deep conflicts between the various powers of man.These cannot be reduced to a common denominator. They tend in different directions and obey different principles. But this multiplicity and disparateness do not denote discord or disharmony. All these functions complete and complement one another. Each one opens a new horizon and shows us a new aspect of humanity. The dissonant is in harmony with itself; the contraries are not mutually exclusive but interdependent: "harmony in contrariety, as in the case of the bow and the lyre".

Here is a philosophy pervaded by faith in Man and the human future, a future still to be shaped by our own creative symbol-making power.

The Next Step after Language & Myth
If you have read & enjoyed Ernst Cassirer's smaller to the point book "Language & Myth", this is the Next Step! "Essay on Man" is the fuller more advance version, with greater philosophical & historical detail than the pervious gem of a book. Don't worry, it's still easy to read. Maybe a little harder to read than Karl Jasper, but this is not Hegel's Outer Limits of personal idealist words. The most important historical highlights of human expression in language is written with clear insight that only Ernst Cassirer can do. I would consider this Ernst Cassirer's intermediate book with the classic "Philosophy of Symbolic Forms" being his Opus. If I may suggest: start with "Language & Myth", than "Essay on Man", & finish with "Philosophy of Symbolic Forms".

Unifies all the different embodiment of human culture.
This is by far the best philosophy of human culture. It unifies art, myth, religion, language, history and sciences in a coherent organism. Under the concept of the symbol Cassier brings toghether embodiments of culture thathave been thought to be opposite (such as myth and religion). His theory ofart is especially sharp and enlighting. A must read for any student ofsocial sciences or philosphy. One of the best systems of human culture.Down the earth, not like many other systems.

man obedient to the society
man have the obligated to respect all the right by the state and commmunity he live in. there are some man who think that they have the right to their follow human body. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

First Rate Work by a Prominent Philosopher
Ernst Cassirer was one of the more important philosophers of the 20th Century, although his work is less well-known in this country than on the Continent.Cassirer was also a Kant scholar who wrote an influential biography of Kant "Kant's Leben und Lehre" (Kant's Life and Teachings).This book, written in the mid-1930s, but not available in English until much later, is perhaps still the best serious survey of the Enlightenment, with more emphasis on the German Enlightenment than we are used to seeing.(The term 'enlightenment' itself comes from the German word "Aufklaerung"). Unlike many of the more recent writers on the Enlightenment, Cassirer is sympathetic to the Enlightenment enterprise and does not have an axe to grind (Peter Gay and Lester Crocker come to mind).Although well-written, and the subject is interesting to anyone concerned about the growth of the modern world, this is not an easy book: Cassirer presents a more nuanced view of the Enlightment and the philosophes than even most educated readers are used to and the reader must actively think about the arguments presented.The effort is absolutely worthwhile.

Classic Synopsis of Voltaire vs. Pascal
Yes! Amazing how the eighteenth century is still here today, in our many institutions and political ideals. Cassirer's heady analysis of the culture, debates and ideals of the time informs our current cultural mosaic, where rap lives side by side with the Lincoln Center. I especially return to his synopsis of the debate about faith in the XVIIIth c., that centers on Voltaire's attack against Pascal. When the thoughts of moral titans collide, the sparks endure. ... Read more

Book Description
This book—the first commentary on Ernst Cassirer's The Metaphysicsof Symbolic Forms—provides an introduction to the metaphysical views that underlie thephilosopher's conceptions of symbolic form and human culture.

Thora Ilin Bayer focuses on the meaning of Cassirer's claim that philosophy is not itself asymbolic form but the thought around which all aspects of human activity are seen as awhole. Underlying the symbolic forms are Cassirer's two metaphysical principles, Spirit(Geist) and Life, which interact to produce the reality of the human world. Bayer showshow these two principles of Cassirer's early philosophy are connected to thephenomenology of his later philosophy, which is focused on his conception of "basisphenomena"—self, will, and work. Ultimately Cassirer conceives his philosophy as aform of the ancient Socratic quest for human self-knowledge, wherein the self makes itsown nature through the power of symbolism to create the distinctively human works thatconstitute culture. ... Read more

Book Description
A great contemporary German philosopher attacks the explosive problem of political myth in our day. In this final work Ernst Cassirer shows how the irrational forces symbolized by myth and manipulation by the state constantly threaten to destroy the independent mind of civilized man."A brilliant survey of some of the major texts in the history of political theory." --Kenneth Burke, Nation ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Do States Have a Mythos?
This insightful book marks the end of Ernst Cassirer's career and suggests that his impact upon the social sciences will continue to grow.Perhaps this book's central feature is it's application of Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms to 20th century political thought.Beginning with a lean and incisive analysis of myth and culminating with an inspection of modern authoritarianism, Cassirer succeeds in marrying an understanding of culture with an analysis of political phenomena.Readers familiar with the Western tradition of political philosophy will find their background knowledge put to good use here, as the majority of the text centers around considering various mythic conceptions prevalent in Western political theory up to Hitler's Third Reich.Cassirer's approach, consistent with his other works, is to stress synthetic conclusions with comprehensive analysis.

The text can be divided into roughly three major section, each of which draws from Cassirer's previous work.The first major section is Cassirer's short exposition of his philosophy of symbolic forms.The reader is provided with several chapters identifying key elements of myth, including language, emotions, and social life.From this domain, Cassirer draws a general theory of culture, and a theory of myth in particular.His orientation to studying culture is largely operative, as he considers how myth functions emotively, cognitively, and socially.

In the next section, Cassirer approaches the question of the Western state's origins, particularly in relation to the Greek, medieval, and Renaissance traditions.All through reviewing major political theories (e.g. Machiavelli, Hegel, etc.), Cassirer applies his functional analysis of myth, noting how Western thought developed out of myth, but does not entirely escape its influence.The final section finds Cassirer considering the genesis of modern totalitarianism, once again by working through influential thinkers.Among these include Hegel's formulation of the State, Thomas Carlyle's hero worship, and Joseph A. C. de Gobineau's theory of racism.

The last chapter, entitled "The Technique of Modern Political Myths" will be the most fascinating for reader's familiar with Cassirer's other major works.Here we find Cassirer in high form: An advocate of Kant's Aufklarung in an uncertain world shaped by powerful, misunderstood forces of culture.Sadly, Cassirer passed away suddenly before this section could be completed.Still, the final note is resounding.Writing in an unusually strong tone about how to address the advocates and agents of political myths, Cassirer concludes: "We should see the adversary face to face in order to know how to combat him."In this task, Cassirer advocates that philosophy is our chief tool in understanding myth and that this task is necessary to advance self-understanding beyond even contemporary bounds. ... Read more

Book Description
This fourth volume of The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, available now for the first time in English, fittingly concludes Ernst Cassirer`s magnum opus. At his death in 1945, the great twentieth-century philosopher left manuscripts for this final volume. In these writings Cassirer grounds his conception of symbolic forms on a particular notion of human nature and discusses Basis Phenomena. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The 1st Volume of Ernst Cassirer's Opus
Ernst Cassirer is one of the foremost Neo-Kantian philosophers of the 20th century. This semi-easy to read book is the 1st of 4 volumes of his Opus about the Philosophy of Symbolic Forms. The 1st volume deals with language, the 2nd with Mythical Thought, the 3rd with the Phenomenology of Knowledge, & the 4th with the Metaphysics of Symbolic Forms.

As most people understand western philosophical history, Plato was the 1st to make a systematic philosophical system which made the Ideal or "Form" of thought an Axiom of reality. This way of understanding reality created more problems than answers until Descartes came up with his Rational Axiom: "I think therefore I am", which many felt was an overstatement lacking Empirical experience. Immanuel Kant solved this problem with a Synthesis (Union) of the Rational & the Empirical. In other words, the human mind functions & understands reality in a certain rational way by uniting with common experience. Immanuel Kant came up with 12 different "Categories of Thought" which was based on Aristotle's Categories from an abstraction of language. Ernst Cassirier goes a step further in stating that the mind abstracts reality by use of symbols which are taught from certain historical cultural groups & as with the philosopher Michel Foucault, both reveal the disunity of modern science's methods & terminology. Unlike Michel Focault difficult book "The Order of Things, An Archaeology of the Human Sciences", Ernst Cassirer's Philosophy of Symbolic Forms is easier to read & focuses on the main issue of the human mind's use of symbols. This book requires a certain knowledge of philosophical history & terms, & is not for a philosophy beginner. For a start on Ernst Cassirier, try his smaller, easy to read, & to the point book "Language & Myth" for a taste of this mind opening philosophy. ... Read more

Book Description
This fourth volume of The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, available now for the first time in English, fittingly concludes Ernst Cassirer`s magnum opus. At his death in 1945, the great twentieth-century philosopher left manuscripts for this final volume. In these writings Cassirer grounds his conception of symbolic forms on a particular notion of human nature and discusses Basis Phenomena. ... Read more

Book Description
This new translation of The Logic of the Cultural Sciences (formerlyentitled The Logic of the Humanities) makes Ernst Cassirer's classic study availableagain to English readers. Contributing a wealth of ideas to continuing debates aboutculture, Cassirer here considers the disciplines commonly referred to as the humanities,defining and justifying the basic philosophical perspective of his philosophy of symbolicforms. ... Read more

Book Description
The Symbolic Forms has long been considered the greatest of Cassirer's works. Into it he poured all the resources of his vast learning about language and myth, religion, art, and science-the various creative symbolizing activities and constructions through which man has expressed himself and given intelligible objective form to his experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Approaching comprehension with great praise
It has been so long since the original German version of this biography of Kant was written by Ernst Cassirer in 1916 (and first published in 1918, due to "the delay inflicted by the war on the progress of the edition of the complete works," (p. 2) according to the Foreword by Ernst Cassirer dated August 14, 1918) that it might be considered quite proper that the recent biography of Kant by Manfred Kuehn deserves to be much more modern in its point of view.My review of Kuehn's book emphasized how modern Kant ought to be considered for someone who lived in his times.Kuehn also put a major emphasis on Kant's desire for perpetual peace, a topic which might have been considered questionable for anyone writing in German at the time when Cassirer was writing this book for use as a supplement to the study of Kant's complete works.

I should admit that I have not attempted the study of Kant's work in the manner for which this book is meant to be a guide.I might even be considered too political to be offered a position on such a faculty, so I have no expectation of ever becoming a professional philosopher, and furthermore, I might even be so comical that I would dare to consider Cassirer and Kant as representative of philosophers in the way that Merry and Pippin were typical of hobbits in the movie cycle, "The Lord of the Rings."The set of 4 DVD disks covering the first movie, "The Fellowship of the Ring," allows easy access to specific points in the movie, and scene 44, "The Breaking of the Fellowship," on the second disk, shows the two hobbits (knowing that Frodo Baggins was the only important target) acting as decoys, crying, "Hey!Hey, you!Over here!"Logically, this follows scene 40, "The Fighting Uruk-hai," in which Saruman declares his creation, the Uruk-hai, a perfect creature for war, much as Prussia is described as a highly disciplined place during Kant's life in this book.Philosophically, Kant's writings, which reflect his use of thought processes, can be selected and their relevance to "The whole moral voice of the Enlightenment, as it lived in the purest and greatest spirits," (p. 83) are here demonstrated as logically as Pippin and Merry's exclamations, "It's working!""I know it's working!Run!" could be considered a histrionic reflection of the admiration for tactics similar to the praise for Kant's philosophy which this book exhibits.

This book also exhibits an eagerness to bring God into every discussion in a manner which has become much less popular as the experience of the godly has been tied detrimentally to the likes of Osama bin Laden in the last hundred years or so.My interest in the early part of the book was primarily in comparing the competing Cosmologies of that time.Kant's early work, UNIVERSAL NATURAL HISTORY AND THEORY OF THE HEAVENS (March 14, 1755), which was dedicated just three months before Kant became a doctor of philosophy on the strength of his treatise, DE IGNE (ON FIRE), was not well known in his time because "The publisher had gone bankrupt while the work was in press; his entire warehouse was sealed up, and therefore this book never came onto the market."(p. 40).In attempting to think beyond the laws of motion which had been established by Newton for a Kantian cosmogony which Kant derives from such laws, "The planetary world in which the sun, acting with its powerful attraction from the center of all the orbits," (p. 47) is considered the cause of the planetary system, and particularly accounting for "the `unanimity of the direction and positions of the planetary orbits'." (p. 49)Kant also uses this explanation "in order to think of it as in proportion to the power of the Infinite Being, it must have no limits at all."(p. 47).Newton could have come to the same conclusion about the origins of planetary motion "if instead of seeking the physical bases of the system of astronomical phenomena exclusively in its present state he had turned his gaze backwards to the past of the system, if he had pushed forward from the consideration of the systematic state of the universe to its systematic becoming."(p. 49).

The big jolt in Kant's cosmology was caused by his attempt to comprehend a heavenly system of a different kind, described inPart 3 of the second chapter of this book. "The Critique of Dogmatic Metaphysics:DREAMS OF A SPIRIT-SEER," (pp. 77-92) on Kant becoming "aware of the marvelous tales surrounding the `visionary' Swedenborg, which led him to immerse himself deeper into Swedenborg's work, the ARCANA COELESTIA.We use this account here not to repeat it, but are content to make reference to it.Who will seriously believe that because he had bought the eight quarto volumes of Swedenborg's works, at a considerable outlay of trouble and expense, Kant would have decided to perform a literary analysis on the book?"(p. 79).Kant's book on Swedenborg "appeared anonymously" (p. 78) and he was determined that "I shall never become a fickle or fraudulent person, after having devoted the largest part of my life to studying how to despise those things that tend to corrupt one's honesty."[Kant to Mendelssohn, April 6, 1766] (p. 79).Swedenborg's ARCANA COELESTIA might still be considered a work in which the dreams of a religious writer were collected with more enthusiasm than anyone prior to Freud had shown for understanding his dreams, and Kant's problem stems in large part from Swedenborg's understanding of his dreams being considered an explanation of heavenly forces, or more often, of the conflicts between heavenly and hellish spirits.Cassirer is willing to venture "that the whole idea of the spiritual is due to habit and prejudice, rather than to exact scientific analysis."(p. 81).Lacking such habits, modern people can read this book for a philosophical guide to how Kant's thought went on from that point, or spend their time watching hobbits, with the 4 DVD disks that show how the "Lord of the Rings" movies were made, or make countless other choices.People who believe this book might spend a lot of time studying Kant, as the author certainly did.

What is Enlightenment?
One of the mysteries of the rise of the modern world is the sudden appearance of the grand phase of German philosophy beginning with the work of Kant, as his thought suddenly flowered late in life with his precipitousCritique of Pure Reason. Like an echo reverberating across the ages, Kant'sbreakthrough both recovered and surpassed the height to which philosophyhad reached in Plato. This thunderclap just at the takeoff of therevolutionary passage to a new era is the prelude to an entire new universeof thinking, and joins the world of science, the Enlightenment, with aworld as ancient as the Upanishads and as futuristic as Quantum Mechanics.Cassirer's philosophical biography is one of the clearest and most cogentintroductions to the Kant's life and work and is a classic in its ownright.

A Rewarding Read
Over the past few years, I had increasingly developed an interest in the Kantian system.I had approached several of Kant's most important works in order to gain an understanding of his thought, but I found that I oftenstruggled to make clear sense of many of his ideas.Although I hadobtained a basic knowledge of his philosophy and some lasting insights fromthese works, I found that Kant's method of presentation often presentedsome difficulties regarding a complete understanding of them.

ErnstCassirer's book provides the student of philosophy with an excellentelucidation of Kant'ssystem of critical thought and both thecharacteristics of this philosopher's personality and the currents ofthought that were prevalent during and preceding his lifetime that led himto develop the philosophic views for which he is well-known.Cassirer alsoamalgamates Kant's theoretical, ethical, and aesthetic aims into a wholesystem that reflects Kant's fundamental philosophical outlook.A greatdeal of material containing many subtle and frequently misconceived pointsis presented in a very clear, though well-detailed, way.Cassirer'sdiscussion of the Critique of Judgment, a book that has long stupified manyreaders, is especially thought-provoking.The impression one receives of Cassirer's deep admiration is understandable given the astonishingintellectual depth and breadth of Kant's achievementsThis book is highlyrecommended for anyone seeking a more profound understanding of Kant's lifeand works. ... Read more

Book Description
Distinguished philosopher Richard Wollheim's rich and thought-provoking account of the emotions considers what emotions are, how they arise in our lives, and how standard and "moral" emotions differ. Drawing on insights from literature, psychoanalysis, and philosophy, Wollheim argues that emotions form a distinct psychological category, not to be assimilated with either beliefs or desires. ... Read more

Book Description
The papers in this volume of Ernst Cassirer's unpublished works give insight into the major issues that engaged Cassirer's interest between 1935 and 1945. Ernst Cassirer has been read and studied by generations of students, and in this book they will find illuminations, in a more informal voice, of the major themes in Cassirer's work.New readers will be introduced to the great issues that occupied the interest of one of the twentieth century's most widely read philosophers. ... Read more

Book Description
Provides a reading of Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms in the context of contemporary continental philosophy.

This systematic introduction to Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms demonstrates how his approach transforms the project of modernity in accord with the limitations of the modern conception of rationality. At the same time, this book functions as an introduction to Cassirer's thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very readable
This was my first introduction to Ernst Cassirer; I knew nothing of the man before this book. If you have any interest in continental philosophy from the second half of the 20th century, a familiarity with Cassirer is a must.His fingerprints can be found on the works of folks ranging from Heidegger to Kojeve to Derrida.

Lofts' writing is accessible and clear; this book seemed to be a labour of love. "A Repetition of Modernity" provides an ample introduction to Cassirer's work, as well as re-reading him in the light of contemporary continental philosophy.

I enjoyed it enough that after finishing, I picked up two of Cassirer's own books - Myth of the State and An Essay On Man. Both were great reads, highly recommended.

A strange, but intriguing reading of Cassirer
Lofts' approach is rather strange: nevertheless, his unorthodox interpretation is very intriguing. Using the distinction between the signifier and signified, he brings out the internal and systematicstructure of Cassirer's philosophy -- which is not at all clear when youread Cassirer himself. One could dispute any one of a number of points (andespecially the methodological approach), but this is only because Lofts is,as he himself says, attempting to go "beyond Cassirer" and thusis taking a number of interpretative risks in his reading. At times onewonders, whether this is Cassirer or Lofts' philosophy of culture. However,Lofts skilfully use of quotes assures us that it is indeed Cassirer's.Given that it is one of the few books on Cassirer written in English, giventhe fact that it is compact and uses material from all of Cassirer's works(no small task as Krois points out in his Preface), and finally given thatit is an intriguing reading of Cassirer: this is certainly worth a read. ... Read more