The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms
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Volume 4: The Metaphysics of Symbolic Forms
Ernst Cassirer; Edited by John Michael Krois and Donald Phillip Verene; Translated by John Michael Krois
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Format: PaperPrice: $29.00
Ernst Cassirer believed that all the forms of representation that human beings use—language, myth, art, religion, history, science—are symbolic, and the concept of symbolic forms was the basis of his thinking on these subjects. In this volume, which contains one text written in 1928 and another in about 1940, Cassirer presents the metaphysics that is implicit in his epistemology and phenomenology of culture. The earlier text grounds the philosopher's conception of symbolic forms on a notion of human nature that makes a general distinction between Geist (mind) and life. In the later text, he discusses Basis Phenomena, an original concept not mentioned in any of his previous works, and he compares his own viewpoint with those of other modern philosophers, notably Bergson and Heidegger.
"It is always happy news to know of Yale University Press's continued participation in the world-wide renewal of interest in the philosophial thought of Ernst Cassirer."—Seymour W. Itzkoff, International Studies in Philosophy
"The book will not disappoint those who have waited so long for it."—Library Journal
"This is a remarkable translation—faithful to Cassirer's text and doing justice to his meaning. An impressive performance."—Raymond Klibansky, McGill University and University of Heidelberg
Publication Date: January 21, 1998
