Cassirer, Ernst

The Renaissance Philosophy of Man: Petrarca, Valla, Ficino, Pico, Pomponazzi, Vives (Phoenix Books)

Average customer rating:

A philosophy of the human person
A Fine Anthology of Key Renaissance Writings

The Renaissance Philosophy of Man: Petrarca, Valla, Ficino, Pico, Pomponazzi, Vives (Phoenix Books)

Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Consciousness & Thought | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Individual and the Cosmos in Renaissance Philosophy
The Book of the Courtier (Penguin Classics)
Renaissance Thought and the Arts
Renaissance Thought and its Sources
Eight Philosophers of the Italian Renaissance

ASIN: 0226096041

Book Description

Despite our admiration for Renaissance achievement in the arts and sciences, in literature and classical learning, the rich and diversified philosophical thought of the period remains largely unknown. This volume illuminates three major currents of thought dominant in the earlier Italian Renaissance: classical humanism (Petrarch and Valla), Platonism (Ficino and Pico), and Aristotelianism (Pomponazzi). A short and elegant work of the Spaniard Vives is included to exhibit the diffusion of the ideas of humanism and Platonism outside Italy. Now made easily accessible, these texts recover for the English reader a significant facet of Renaissance learning.

Customer Reviews:

A philosophy of the human person .......2006-11-06

Renaissance is French for "re-birth." But what, exactly, was reborn? The human person as a rational soul capable of free thought and choice--if we take these Renaissance thinkers seriously.

The first 119 pages are devoted to six pieces by poet Francesco Petrarca written in the mid 14th Century. "On His Own Ignorance and that of Many Others" is a wide ranging self defense against a group of Aristotelian attackers who suggested, essentially, that Petrarca's not very bright. You might expect a poet who developed the sonnet form (as Petrarca did in his Canzionere) to speak in a distinctive voice--and he certainly does.

Petrarca claims that he's inspired by Cicero, the Roman rhetorician/politician: "You might be astonished, if you did not know me that I can hardly tear myself away from Cicero, so much am I fascinated by this genius. Even now I am carried along by the no longer unfamiliar charm of the subjects he treats . . . Furthermore, he points out the miraculously coherent structure and disposition of body, sense and limbs, and finally reason and sedulous activity." He then engages in a discussion of whether it's better to have a good will or strong intellect (Petrarca himself had both): "It is safer to strive for a good and pious will than for a capable and clear intellect. The object of the will, as it pleases the wise, is to be good; that of the intellect is truth. It is better to will the good than to know the truth. The first is never without merit; the latter can often be polluted with crime and then admits no excuse."

Bravo. It's not enough to be "smart."

What's impressive here is the focus on how a person should be, what traits and characteristics one ought to adopt to live a virtuous life--with the idea implicit that one has a choice, is master of ones own destiny.

There's no "one size fits all" idea of the self nor how to lead a proper life among these thinkers, who include Lorenzo Valla, Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola, Pietro Pompanazzi and Juan Luis Vives. All strive to define the self. We'd never say philosophy of "man" today, as in 1948 when this collection was created by the University of Chicago. The important thing is their recognition of a highly conscious self working on the self--a return to and enlargement upon classical ideas of the person stretching from Plato to St. Augustine.

Marsilio Ficino's "Five Questions Concerning the Mind" taken from his Epistolae, Book 2 is a work of genius. Ficino, a neo-Platonist, asks whether the motion of the mind is directed toward a definite end, whether it's a particular or universal end and whether it's obtainable. The universe itself is the end of the soul, and it is entirely infinite, he concludes. Throughout his exhilarating exploration, Ficino isn't held back by dogma or doctrine--he's freely defining how the soul and mind might work on his own terms adapting classical thinking.

Renaissance thinkers fly in the face of deterministic ideas. The independent self is thinking through its own destiny--not enslaved by a prepackaged "template" of thought.

In our post-modern world, are we held down by determinist notions that our fate is decided by genes, gender, culture etc.? That's a question worth considering as Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize-winning economist has lately done. Sen deplores the "little boxes" that divide us and observes that ideologies typically slot people into communities based on a single dimension that trumps individual identities.

Ideas of self and destiny need to be reconsidered every so often.

Maybe now would be a good time. Maybe another rebirth is needed.

A Fine Anthology of Key Renaissance Writings.......2004-01-22

This work attempts to resurface pieces of encrypted Renaissance literature which have unjustly passed out of the philosophical circles of the recent modern world and does so in a fashion which will be quite beneficial for the student of the Italian Renaissance or for well-versed philosophers who have either passed these texts by accident or sheer intent. Of the works displayed here the reader will find Petrarch in all his refined literary grace and splendor; and the inquirer will no doubt be left impressed with his sharp exposition of suggestive ideas. The great Lorenzo Valla also stands out in all his unique vigor, using the courteous method of the dialouge to impart his opinions on free will. Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola, the youthful champion of liberal studies, is found here as well, spinning the artful web-of-a-work, Oration on the Dignity of Man. A small portion of the giant corpus of Marsilio Ficino's works may also be digested: of the Latin scion of Plato's writings his Five Questions Concerning the Mind will only be discovered here. At last, the Aristotelian Pompanazzi's essay concerning immortality and Juan Luis Vives short work, A Fable About a Man, will be found here as well. Overall, the editors and translators should receive a gold-star for their efforts; the great men who wrote these treasured texts also deserve a place of precedence in the hall of histories men of literary and philosophical genius. A lover of literature, classic or contemporary, should come to grips with this compendium of Renaissance texts.

Average customer rating:

First Rate Work by a Prominent Philosopher
Classic Synopsis of Voltaire vs. Pascal

The Philosophy of the Enlightenment
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Surveys | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History, 17th & 18th Century | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Enlightenment: The Science of Freedom
The Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Paganism
Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and the Making of Modernity 1650-1750
The Enlightenment (Studies in European History)
The Creation of the Modern World: The Untold Story of the British Enlightenment

ASIN: 0691019630

Customer Reviews:

First Rate Work by a Prominent Philosopher.......2002-08-15

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.......2000-11-09

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.

The Individual and the Cosmos in Renaissance Philosophy

Average customer rating:

The place to begin
Thick reading, but mind expanding

The Individual and the Cosmos in Renaissance Philosophy
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Consciousness & Thought | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Medieval Thought | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern Renaissance | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Renaissance Philosophy of Man: Petrarca, Valla, Ficino, Pico, Pomponazzi, Vives (Phoenix Books)
Renaissance Thought and the Arts
Renaissance Thought and its Sources
Language and Myth
An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture

ASIN: 0486414388

Book Description

This thought-provoking classic investigates how the Renaissance spirit fundamentally questioned and undermined medieval thought. Of value to students of literature, political theory, history of religious and Reformation thought, and the history of science.

Customer Reviews:

The place to begin.......2002-09-02

This is the book for anyone curious about intellectual history, the history of ideas, Renaissance studies, etc. Despite its often-discussed excesses and omissions, it remains the most exciting book available on Renaissance philosophy for the way it comes to terms with the eccentric complexity and imaginative power of Cusanus and later Neoplatonists (whether or not Nicholas influenced Ficino, et al.). The book is densely written, but not as difficult as the previous reviewer suggests; Domandi's translation nicely captures Cassirer's sense of the drama of ideas, of the birth of subjectivity as the mind posits "its own fixed points" rather than relying on stable, objective hierarchies. True, there is little on social (or economic) contexts, but those kinds of approaches are readily found among more recent historians, and those hungering for wider contexts can look at Biechler's book on Cusanus, or Braden and Kerrigan's Idea of the Renaissance, or any of William Bouwsma's or Anthony Grafton's wonderful books on Renaissance thought. But to get inside the actual motions and metaphors of Renaissance thought, Cassirer's the place to begin, and to keep enjoying. No one does it better!

Thick reading, but mind expanding.......2001-03-30

This book is definitely not an easy read. But those who are seriously interested in philosophical history will find this book educational. Ernst Cassirer (1874-1945) is most noted for his books concerning historical philosophy and his accomplishments as a professor of such Universities as Hamburg, Yale, California, and Göteborg. Next to Burckhardt, Cassirer's work is considered by many to be the landmark in the history of Renaissance thought. The Renaissance, according to Cassirer, is a time of philosophical rebirth. Medieval thinkers evaluated and understood things of this world through a transcendence that always led up to God. Renaissance thought, on the other hand, tried to understand the intelligible through sense and reason, but all the while maintaining the idea of God. Thus, the Renaissance arguably represents the first step in modern scientific thought; moreover, the innovative thinkers of the 14th and 15th centuries paved the way for the Reformation. At the beginning of the 1300's, a new life in the liberal arts begins to occur - a movement or `spiritual renewal,' as Cassirer calls it. Major scholars such as Petrarch begin to question Medieval thought and scholasticism, a philosophical principle that used the mystical and intuitional methods of Augustine and Aristotle. Cassirer uses the ideas and doctrines of the religious humanist Nicholas Cusanus as the hallmark of Renaissance philosophy. In fact, the majority of the book concentrates on Cusanus, who Cassirer considers the most influential and greatest philosopher of that epoch. The cosmos according to Cusanus places God in the center of the world, therefore allowing each individual being to have an intimate and close relationship with God. Cassirer's parable of the Tegernsee Monks and the self-portrait of Rogier van der Weyden is a perfect allegory of Cusanus' theory. Later, during the Reformation, the Catholic Church had to abandon the thoughts of Cusanus because it placed too much emphasis on the individual. He believed God created man, but also gave us the power of intellect, which has an autonomous sphere of thinking that gives everything value. The greatest accomplishment of Cusanus is his creation of balance between ancient humanism and medieval religiosity. In the "De docta ignorantia," Cusanus explains how the universe is divided between the infinite (eternal) and the finite (worldly). The connecting link or `bracket of the world' that embraces the finite and infinite is Christ. But only through the individual salvation can the unification of the cosmos occur, so the importance of man and humanity without mediators such as the church and pope is stressed. Therefore, redemption is not seen as leaving an inferior world behind like in medieval thought, but instead the salvation of one's soul is what forms the cosmos. Cassirer's book effectively proves how the Renaissance was a time of revolutionary thought as compared to medieval times. However, it seems the author may have overestimated the power and influence that Cusanus had on Renaissance philosophy. This concentration on Cusanus' religious philosophy serves as a great foreshadowing of the Reformation, but more detail should have been given to the social and intellectual aspects which Cassirer did touch on briefly in chapter four.

Average customer rating:

Prometheus' legacy
Have Yourself a Paradigm Shift
Not just good, but great reading!
brilliant
Linguistic Evolution

Language and Myth
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Metaphysics | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Volume 1: Language
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 2: Mythical Thought (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Mythical Thought)
The Myth of the State
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 3: The Phenomenology of Knowledge (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, the Phenomenology of Knowledge)

ASIN: 0486200515

Book Description

Analyzes nonrational thought processes, demonstrating underlying grammar; Indian philosophy, Schelling modern poetry, much more.

Customer Reviews:

Prometheus' legacy.......2006-10-24

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.......2003-10-10

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!.......2002-01-04

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.......2001-09-09

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.......2001-08-27

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.

The Problem of Knowledge: Philosophy, Science, and History Since Hegel

Average customer rating:

a great book

The Problem of Knowledge: Philosophy, Science, and History Since Hegel
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Volume 1: Language
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 3: The Phenomenology of Knowledge (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, the Phenomenology of Knowledge)
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 2: Mythical Thought (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Mythical Thought)
The Philosophy of the Enlightenment
An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture

ASIN: 0300010982

Customer Reviews:

a great book.......2001-01-20

i loved this book, and if you r interested, i recomend it

An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture

Average customer rating:

A philosophy of Man as symbol-maker
The Next Step after Language & Myth
Unifies all the different embodiment of human culture.
man obedient to the society

An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Metaphysics | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Philosophy of History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Language and Myth
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Volume 1: Language
The Myth of the State
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 2: Mythical Thought (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Mythical Thought)
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 3: The Phenomenology of Knowledge (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, the Phenomenology of Knowledge)

ASIN: 0300000340

Customer Reviews:

A philosophy of Man as symbol-maker.......2006-01-06

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 he tries 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 up a 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.......2003-10-10

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........1999-08-25

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 that have been thought to be opposite (such as myth and religion). His theory of art is especially sharp and enlighting. A must read for any student of social sciences or philosphy. One of the best systems of human culture. Down the earth, not like many other systems.

man obedient to the society.......1999-03-30

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.

Average customer rating:

Approaching comprehension with great praise
What is Enlightenment?
A Rewarding Read

Kant's Life and Thought
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Philosophers | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Biographies | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Cambridge Companion to Kant and Modern Philosophy (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)
The Philosophy of the Enlightenment
Religion and Rational Theology (The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant in Translation)
Kant: A Biography
Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics (Studies in Continental Thought)

ASIN: 0300029829

Customer Reviews:

Approaching comprehension with great praise.......2003-01-01

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 in Part 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?.......2000-07-20

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 precipitous Critique of Pure Reason. Like an echo reverberating across the ages, Kant's breakthrough both recovered and surpassed the height to which philosophy had reached in Plato. This thunderclap just at the takeoff of the revolutionary passage to a new era is the prelude to an entire new universe of thinking, and joins the world of science, the Enlightenment, with a world as ancient as the Upanishads and as futuristic as Quantum Mechanics. Cassirer's philosophical biography is one of the clearest and most cogent introductions to the Kant's life and work and is a classic in its own right.

A Rewarding Read.......1999-12-14

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 often struggled to make clear sense of many of his ideas. Although I had obtained a basic knowledge of his philosophy and some lasting insights from these works, I found that Kant's method of presentation often presented some difficulties regarding a complete understanding of them.

Ernst Cassirer's book provides the student of philosophy with an excellent elucidation of Kant's system of critical thought and both the characteristics of this philosopher's personality and the currents of thought that were prevalent during and preceding his lifetime that led him to develop the philosophic views for which he is well-known. Cassirer also amalgamates Kant's theoretical, ethical, and aesthetic aims into a whole system that reflects Kant's fundamental philosophical outlook. A great deal of material containing many subtle and frequently misconceived points is presented in a very clear, though well-detailed, way. Cassirer's discussion of the Critique of Judgment, a book that has long stupified many readers, is especially thought-provoking. The impression one receives of Cassirer's deep admiration is understandable given the astonishing intellectual depth and breadth of Kant's achievements This book is highly recommended for anyone seeking a more profound understanding of Kant's life and works.

The Myth of the State
Average customer rating:

Do States Have a Mythos?

The Myth of the State
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture

Language and Myth

The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Volume 1: Language

The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 2: Mythical Thought (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Mythical Thought)

The Philosophy of the Enlightenment

ASIN: 0300000367

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

Customer Reviews:

Do States Have a Mythos?.......2006-07-29

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.

The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 2: Mythical Thought (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Mythical Thought)

Average customer rating:

The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 2: Mythical Thought (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Mythical Thought)
Ernst Cassirer
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Volume 1: Language
The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Volume 3: The Phenomenology of Knowledge (Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, the Phenomenology of Knowledge)
Language and Myth
An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture
The Problem of Knowledge: Philosophy, Science, and History Since Hegel

ASIN: 0300000383

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.

Ernst Cassirer: Philosopher of culture (Twayne's world leaders series ; TWLS 61)

Average customer rating:

Ernst Cassirer: Philosopher of culture (Twayne's world leaders series ; TWLS 61)
Seymour W Itzkoff
Manufacturer: Twayne Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0805777121

Philosophers:

Philosophers

Philosophers