Language and Myth [Paperback]

Ernst Cassirer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1953

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Dover ed edition (June 1, 1953)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486200515
• ISBN-13: 978-0486200514
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Modern
  • #93 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Words & Language > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant, September 8, 2001

By 

Susan Thompson "beezoo" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Language and Myth (Paperback)

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.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just good, but great reading!, January 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Language and Myth (Paperback)

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.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent exploration of the limitations of language, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Language and Myth (Paperback)

How do we view the world and invent new processes and words to explain new objects, peoples and ideas? How did the ancients derive new meanings from existing words and combine them to explain new phenomena? Were those halos around the heads of saintly beings auras, space helmets, or were these beings holograms? Moses' halo was interpreted as horns in Northern European sculpture. A worthwhile read in a world today that requires new words every day to explain and name our technological advances. How we form these words and how are they transmitted and translated from culture to culture is explored in this excellent book. Read the Bible with new meaning. Be better able to interpret figurative meanings from literal meanings. Reinterpret what you thought to be dogmatic truth vs. myth and tradition and mere metaphor. Cassirer explores the evolution of language, and the invention of new words. This book is a timeless treasure.