Rhetoric as Philosophy: The Humanist Tradition (Rhetorical Philosophy and Theory)

Grassi, Ernesto

ISBN 10: 080932363X / ISBN 13: 9780809323630

Published by Southern Illinois University Press, 2001

About this Item

By going back to the Italian humanist tradition and aspects of earlier Greek and Latin thought, Ernesto Grassi develops a conception of rhetoric as the basis of philosophy. He explores the sense in which the first principles of rational thought come from the metaphorical power of the word. Series: Rhetorical Philosophy & Theory S. Num Pages: 144 pages. BIC Classification: CFG; HPCB. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 229 x 152 x 11. Weight in Grams: 218. . 2001. 1st. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780809323630

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rhetoric as Philosophy: The Humanist Tradition (Rhetorical Philosophy and Theory)
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080932363X
• ISBN 13: 9780809323630
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Originally published in English in 1980, Rhetoric as Philosophy has been out of print for some time. The reviews of that English edition attest to the importance of Ernesto Grassi’s work.

By going back to the Italian humanist tradition and aspects of earlier Greek and Latin thought, Ernesto Grassi develops a conception of rhetoric as the basis of philosophy. Grassi explores the sense in which the first principles of rational thought come from the metaphorical power of the word. He finds the basis for his conception in the last great thinker of the Italian humanist tradition, Giambattista Vico (1668–1744). He concentrates on Vico’s understanding of imagination and the sense of human ingenuity contained in metaphor. For Grassi, rhetorical activity is the essence and inner life of thought when connected to the metaphorical power of the word.

About the Author

Ernesto Grassi, former student of Martin Heidegger and the author of numerous books in German and Italian, was a professor of philosophy at the University of Munich and director of the Institute of Humanistic and Philosophic Studies. Well known and respected in Europe as a scholar and philosopher, Grassi died in 1991.