Symbolic Worlds
Subtitle: Art, Science, Language, Ritual
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: November 28, 1996
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 222
ISBN-13: 9780521564250
Subjects: Philosophy Of Mind; Philosophy of language; Social & political philosophy; Philosophy Of Science; Philosophy; Art; Science; Epistemology; Philosophy / Epistemology; Language and languages; Metaphysics; Symbolism
First sentence: Symbolism is a primary characteristic of mind, displayed in every variety of thought and department of culture.
Description: Symbolism is a primary characteristic of mind, deployed and displayed in every aspect of thought and culture. In this important and broad-ranging book, Israel Scheffler explores the various ways in which the mind functions symbolically. This involves considering not only the worlds of the sciences and the arts, but also such activities as religious ritual and child's play.

The book offers an integrated treatment of ambiguity and metaphor, analyses of play and ritual, and an extended discussion of the relations between scientific symbol systems and reality. What emerges is a picture of the basic symbol-forming character of the mind.

. In addition to philosophers of art and science, likely readers of this book will include students of linguistics, semiotics, anthropology, religion, and psychology.