Kant And The Platypus: Essays On Language And Cognition - 1st US Edition/1st Printing

Eco, Umberto

ISBN 10: 0151004471 / ISBN 13: 9780151004478

Published by Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 2000

About this Item

An attractive first American edition/first printing in unread Fine condition in Near Fine, price clipped dustjacket. Contursi A042e; This collection of essays is an erudite, detailed inquiry into the philosophy of mind and language. Professor Eco tackles Kant's question: How does the mind transform the manifold of sense perceptions into knowledge? As Eco puts it: What would Kant have done had he come upon a platypus? Translated from the original Italian languange by Alastair McEwen; 8vo; [ii], viii, [2], 464, [4] pages.

Seller Inventory # 15684

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Kant And The Platypus: Essays On Language And Cognition - 1st US Edition/1st Printing
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company, New York
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0151004471
• ISBN 13: 9780151004478
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st US Edition; First Printing.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • First Editions
  • Legendary Authors::Eco, Umberto
  • Collection Starter::Hundred Dollars or Less
  • Science::Philosophy
  • By Year Of Issue::1990s

About this title

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

UMBERTO ECO is the author of five novels and numerous essay collections, including The Name of the Rose, The Prague Cemetery, and Inventing the Enemy. He received Italy's highest literary award, the Premio Strega, was named a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur by the French government, and is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.