Cassirer
About this book
Ernst Cassirer (1874–1945) occupies a unique place in 20th-century philosophy. His view that human beings are not rational but symbolic animals and his famous dispute with Martin Heidegger at Davos in 1929 are compelling alternatives to the deadlock between 'analytic' and 'continental' approaches to philosophy. An astonishing polymath, Cassirer's work pays equal attention to mathematics and natural science but also art, language, myth, religion, technology, and history. However, until now the importance of his work has largely been overlooked.
In this outstanding introduction Samantha Matherne examines and assesses the full span of Cassirer's work. Beginning with an overview of his life and works she covers the following important topics:
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- Cassirer's neo-Kantian background
- Philosophy of mathematics and natural science, including Cassirer's first systematic work, Substance and Function, and subsequent works, like Einstein's Theory of Relativity
- The problem of culture and the ground-breaking The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms
- Cassirer's ethical and political thought and his diagnosis of fascism in The Myth of the State
- Cassirer's influence and legacy.
Including chapter summaries, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of terms, this is an ideal introduction to Cassirer's thought for anyone coming to his work for the first time. It is essential reading for students in philosophy as well as related disciplines such as intellectual history, art history, politics, and literature.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Chronology
- One Cassirer's life and works
- Two The Neo-Kantian framework
- Three Philosophy of mathematics
- Four Philosophy of natural science
- Five Philosophy of culture as the philosophy of symbolic forms
- Six The individual symbolic forms, Part I: From myth to natural science
- Seven The individual symbolic forms, Part II: The ethics and politics of culture
- Eight Cassirer's legacy
- Glossary of terms
- Bibliography
- Index