The Symbolic Construction of Reality: The Legacy of Ernst Cassirer (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780226036861)

In 1933 eminent philosopher Ernst Cassirer (1874-1945) fled Nazi Germany for the United States. His fame in Europe having already been established through a public debate with Martin Heidegger in 1929, Cassirer would go on to become a noteworthy influence on American culture. His most important early writings focused on the symbol and symbolic interaction, exploring how human cultures--from early myth-based ones to our own modern, scientifically oriented time--have used symbols to mediate the basic forms of experience. Following this work, Cassirer extended his insights to encompass a broad spectrum of philosophical themes: from investigations into Western epistemological and scientific traditions to aesthetics and the philosophy of history to anthropology and political philosophy. Reflecting this diversity in Cassirer's own work, The Symbolic Construction of Reality collects eleven essays by a wide range of contributors from different fields. Each essay analyzes a different aspect of his legacy, reassessing its significance for our contemporary world and bringing much-needed attention to this seminal thinker.

Author: Jeffrey Andrew Barash
ISBN-10: 0226036863
ISBN-13: 9780226036861
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Language: English
Published: 12/01/2008
Pages: 248
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.30w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Chronicle of Higher Education 01/23/2009 pg. 19
London Review of Books 03/26/6009 pg. 14