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

by Ernst Cassirer

Book Overview

"The best and most mature expression of Cassirer's] thought."--Journal of Philosophy

"No reader of this book can fail to be struck by the grandeur of its program or by the sensitive humanism of the author."--Ernest Nagel, The Humanist

One of the twentieth century's greatest philosophers presents the results of his lifetime study of man's cultural achievements. An Essay on Man is an...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300000340
• ISBN13: 9780300000344
• Release Date: September 1962
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

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 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

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 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

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.