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Kant and the Platypus Essays
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Kant and the Platypus Essays Trade cloth - 1999

by Eco, Umberto


Summary

How do we know that a cat is a cat? Why do we agree on calling the beast a cat? Interesting questions, but an even more intriguing question lies at the heart of all modern philosophy-how much of our perception of things depends on our cognitive ability and how much on linguistic resources? At this point semiotics becomes inextricably linked to epistemology, or cognition. In these essays, Umberto Eco explores in depth such subjects as perception, the relationship between language and experience, and iconism that he only touched on in A Theory of Semiotics. Forgoing a formal, systematic treatment, Eco engages in a series of explorations based on common sense, from which flow an abundance of illustrative fables, often with animals as protagonists. Among the characters, a position of prominence is reserved for the platypus, which appears to have been created specifically to "put the cat among the pigeons" as far as many theories of knowledge are concerned. In Kant and the Platypus, Eco shares with us a wealth of ideas at once philosophical and amusing.

From the publisher

How do we know that a cat is a cat? Why do we agree on calling the beast a cat? Interesting questions, but an even more intriguing question lies at the heart of all modern philosophy-how much of our perception of things depends on our cognitive ability and how much on linguistic resources? At this point semiotics becomes inextricably linked to epistemology, or cognition. In these essays, Umberto Eco explores in depth such subjects as perception, the relationship between language and experience, and iconism that he only touched on in A Theory of Semiotics. Forgoing a formal, systematic treatment, Eco engages in a series of explorations based on common sense, from which flow an abundance of illustrative fables, often with animals as protagonists. Among the characters, a position of prominence is reserved for the platypus, which appears to have been created specifically to "put the cat among the pigeons" as far as many theories of knowledge are concerned. In Kant and the Platypus, Eco shares with us a wealth of ideas at once philosophical and amusing.

First line

The history of research into the philosophy of language is full of men (who are rational and mortal animals), bachelors (who are unmarried adult males), and tigers (though it is not clear whether we should define them as feline mammals or big cats with a yellow coat and black stripes).

Details

  • Title Kant and the Platypus Essays
  • Author Eco, Umberto
  • Binding Trade Cloth
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 464
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Harcourt, New York
  • Date November 1, 1999
  • ISBN 9780151004478

Media reviews

"Umberto Eco's essays read like letters from a friend, trying to share something he loves with someone he likes." -San Francisco Review of Books

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Kant and the Platypus: Essays

Kant and the Platypus: Essays

by Umberto Eco

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Kant and the Platypus: Essays on Language and Cognition
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Kant and the Platypus : Essays on Language and Cognition

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KANT AND THE PLATYPUS: Essays on Language and Cognition
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KANT AND THE PLATYPUS: Essays on Language and Cognition

by Eco, Umberto

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