Cassirer and Langer on Myth: An Introduction

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Cover Half-title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Abbreviations Preface Acknowledgments Part I: Myth in Cassirer's Philosophy of Symbolic Forms Chapter 1 Myth in Cassirer's Life and Career: An Overview of Cassirer's Theory The Formative Years The First and Most Developed Stage The Second and Third Stages The Application of the Theory to Modern Life Chapter 2 Myth Starts a Philosophy of Culture: Assumptions, Methods, and Goals General Features Rejection of Nonphilosophical Explanations Evaluation of Previous Philosophical Explanations The General Difficulty with Philosophizing about Myth A Philosophical Definition Is Needed The Type of Cassirer's Philosophy The Origin of Cassirer's Philosophy in Hegel's The Founding Principles of Myth and the Other Cultural Forms The General Plan The Criteria of an Individual Symbolic Form Notes Chapter 3 Myth Is a Worldview, Part 1 : Its Symbolism in Perception and Imagination The Importance of Symbolism for a Theory of Myth The Start of Mythical Symbolism: From Animal Signal to Human Symbol The Symbol of the Mythical Consciousness Is the Image Symbols Make the First Worldview of Humanity The Change in the Symbolism Notes Chapter 4 Myth Is a Worldview, Part 2: The Structure of Behavior: Space, Time, and Number The Structure of Myth: Its Inner Form Comprised of Categories Mythical Space: The Space of Feeling and of the Human Body Mythical Time: The Consciousness of Moments of Feeling Mythical Number—Cannot Be Distinguished from Qualities of Things Notes Chapter 5 Myth Is a Worldview, Part 3 : The Structure of Behavior: Cause, Thing, and Soul/I The Categories of Cause, Thing, and Soul/I Mythical Cause: The Hypostasis of the Feeling of Any Relation The Mythical Thing or Physical Object The Mythical Consciousness Evolves from a Sense of the Soul of All Things to an Almost Individual "I" Chapter 6 Myth Is a Worldview, Part 4: The Evolution of Mythical Thinking The Law of Mythical Thinking The Evolution of Mythical Thought: Its Dialectic The Mythical Dialectic and the Three Purposes of Human Culture Chapter 7 Myth Has a Permanent Power: A Universal Function of Human Activity Does Science Eclipse Myth? Myth Creates a Universal Function of Human Activity How "Myth" Remains in Science Notes Chapter 8 Myth Recurs and Progresses: Toward an Ideal Limit of Knowledge The Problem of the Relationship of the Universal Function of Myth and That of Science The Solution to the Problem of the Development of the Functions: The Ideal Limit What the Ideal Limit Accomplishes in General for His Philosophy and in Particular for the Theory of Myth How Myth Develops toward the Ideal Limit The Recurrence of Myth in Postmythical Worldviews Notes Chapter 9 Myth Affects Modern Life: The Application of the Theory From the Theory of Myth to Its Application The Coexistence of Myth and Other Forms in Modern Culture The Recurrence of Myth: When and Why The Mythical Status of Nazi Politics Modern Myth Is United with Technology What Philosophy Can Do to Combat Dangerous Political Myths Myth as a Continuing Aspect of Modern Political Life Modern Myth Outside Politics Notes Part II: Myth in Langer's Philosophy of Human Feeling Chapter 10 Myth in Langer's Life and Career: The Quest for the Roots of Myth The Formative Years and Early Work Before Philosophy in a New Key (1895–1942) The First Creative Period: Doing Philosophy in "The New Key" Based on a Theory of Symbolism Langer's Second Main Period: A Theory of Art in Feeling and Form Philosophical Sketches (1962) and Myth in Modern Life The Final Period of Her Philosophy: The Theory of the Evolution of Mind Conclusion about the Role of the Theory of Myth in Her Entire Career Notes Chapter 11 Myth Is in "a New Key": A Type of Symbolism Like Art and Music The New Key: The Movement Emphasizing Symbolism, and Langer's Emphasis on the Prediscursive The Nature of Human Symbols: Their Difference from Animal Signals How Langer's New Key Differs from Cassirer's Approach Langer's Generative Ideas and the Generative Idea of Langer Presentational and Discursive Symbols: Mythical Symbols Are Presentational The Mutual Influence of Language and Myth Langer Seeks the Roots of Sacrament The Development of Ritual from Motor Attitudes The Explanation of Magic as the Presentation of Religious Symbols The Start of Myth and the Rise of Theology from It Against the View of Personificiation: The Functions of Hypostasis and Generalization Myth in "The Fabric of Meaning" The Relationship of Philosophy in a New Key to Later Works Chapter 12 Myth Is a "Form of Feeling": A Definition through a Symbolic Theory of Art Myth in the Plan of Feeling and Form Myths as Metaphors of Bodily Feeling and Inner Awareness The Root of Myth in Feeling: "Chapter 12. The Magic Circle" Myth as a Preparation for Art Chapter 13 Myth Has a Biological Basis: The Underlying Physical Processes The Plan of the Three Volumes The Biological Precondition of Human Symbolism The Major Shifts from Myth to Modern Civilization The Behavioral Change from Animal to Human: The Making of a World The Behavioral Change from Animal to Human: Giving an Account of the World and Oneself The Spirit-World" The Second Shift: "The Dream of Power" "Dream's Ending : The Tragic Vision" "The Ethnic Balance" "The Breaking": End of the Tribal Pattern of Society The Balance in Each Culture Mathematics, The Reign of Science, and the Open Ambient of Modern Culture Notes Chapter 14 The Global Society Needs Myth: Its Solutions to Problems of Modern Life The Regression to Primitive Myth The Lack of Myths in Modern Life The Imbalance in Modern, Global Society The Social Causes of the Lack of Myth (Demythologization) Other Problems Caused by the Lack of Myth Social Problems of the Decline in Myth and Art Solutions by the Power of Myth That Remains Solutions by Philosophy and Myth Solutions by Art and Myth Conclusion about Langer's Ideas on Myth in Modern Life and Their Relation to Her Theory of Myth Chapter 15 Judging the Two Theories: Their Influence and Places in History The Influence on Subsequent Research The Places of Cassirer and Langer in Intellectual History The Difference in Cassirer's and Langer's Ideas of Philosophy The Probable Judgment by the Future The Myth of the Man and "the Myth" of His Philosophy Notes Selected Bibliography: Cassirer's and Langer's Philosophies of Myth Index