The debate on the value of Boyer's minimally counter-intuitive theory continues to generate considerable theoretical and empirical attention. Although the theory offers an explanation as to why certain cultural texts and narratives are particularly well conveyed and transmitted, amidst society and over time, conflicting evidence remains for any mnemonic advantage of minimally counter-intuitive concepts. In an effort to reconcile these conflicting results, Barrett has made a comprehensive attempt in presenting a formal system for quantifying counter – intuitiveness including a distinction (...) between counter-intuitive and counter-schematic concepts. The present article uses this system to generate sentences containing different levels of counter-intuitiveness, and tests whether minimally counter-intuitive items show a mnemonic advantage over concepts which are more counter-intuitive or counter-schematic. Results indicate that MCI concepts hold a mnemonic advantage over counter-schematic and maximally counter-intuitive concepts but only for one-week delayed recall. Interference effects may have masked immediate recall effects. Yes-no recognition after one week delay showed almost 100% accuracy suggesting that availability of retrieval cues is the factor which determines the mnemonic advantage of MCI concepts. (shrink)

Die Geburt der Tragödie and Weimar classicism -- The formative influence of Weimar classicism in the genesis of Zarathustra -- The aesthetic gospel of Nietzsche's Zarathustra -- From Leucippus to Cassirer : toward a genealogy of "sincere semblance".

Friedrich Nietzsche has emerged as one of the most important and influential modern philosophers. For several decades, the book series Monographien und Texte zur Nietzsche-Forschung (MTNF) has set the agenda in a rapidly growing and changing field of Nietzsche scholarship. The scope of the series is interdisciplinary and international in orientation reflects the entire spectrum of research on Nietzsche, from philosophy to literary studies and political theory. The series publishes monographs and edited volumes that undergo a strict peer-review process. The (...) book series is led by an international team of editors, whose work represents the full range of current Nietzsche scholarship. (shrink)

Can Ludwig Klages, the 'Lebensphilosoph', be brought into fruitful conjunction with Friedrich Schiller, 'der Dichter der Freiheit'? This discussion briefly outlines Klages's system of so-called 'biocentric' metaphysics, before turning to a consideration of his reception of Schiller, including an overview of earlier work in this area by one of Klages's followers, Hans Eggert Schröder. In the light of Klages's comments on Schiller in 'Grundlegung der Wissenschaft vom Ausdruck', a close reading of key passages in the treatise 'Ueber Anmuth und Würde' (...) is shown to reveal important insights in terms of the theory of 'expressiveness'. By investigating the possibility of a 'biocentric' approach to Schiller as a means to rediscovering his significance as an aesthetician, this paper hopes at the same time to have taken the first step on a longer path of constructing a 'biocentric' aesthetics. (shrink)

Volume 1, The Development of the Personality, investigates the extent to which analytical psychology draws on concepts found in German classical aesthetics. It aims to place analytical psychology in the German-speaking tradition of Goethe and Schiller, with which Jung was well acquainted. The second volume builds on the previous one to show how German classicism, specifically the classical aesthetics associated with Goethe and Schiller known as Weimar classicism, was a major influence on psychoanalysis and analytical psychology alike. --From publisher's description.

The second volume of _Analytical Psychology and German Classical Aesthetics_ builds on the previous volume to show how German classicism, specifically the classical aesthetics associated with Goethe and Schiller known as Weimar classicism, was a major influence on psychoanalysis and analytical psychology alike. This volume examines such significant parallels between analytical psychology and Weimar classicism as the methodological similarities between Goethe’s morphological and Jung’s archetypal approaches, which both seek to use synthesis as well as analysis in their attempt to understand (...) the world. It also focuses on the project of the construction of the self, which, it is argued, is not only a personal but also a cultural activity. This book, like its previous volume, aims to clarify the intellectual continuity between Weimar classicism and analytical psychology. It will be of interest to both students and scholars in the fields of analytical psychology, comparative literature, and the history of ideas. (shrink)

Despite his banishment from the philosophy shelves in bookshops, Jung’s thought represents, in fact, a highly sophisticated philosophical position. Maybe it’s time we began to take Jung seriously as a philosopher.

Despite his banishment from the philosophy shelves in bookshops, Jung’s thought represents, in fact, a highly sophisticated philosophical position. Maybe it’s time we began to take Jung seriously as a philosopher.

Occasional Papers in Cassirer and Cultural-Theory Studies presented at the University of Glasgow's Centre for Intercultural Studies. Given the growing disenchantment, on all sides, with the 'high theory' of the 1970s and 1980s, and with the dominant master-trope of literary and cultural reflexion of the 1980s and 1990s, the extended metaphor or 'allegory', this volume offers a timely re-examination of what, according to Goethe, is a deeper mode of understanding the symbol. Via the life-long preoccupation of Ernst Cassirer with the (...) problems of 'symbolic form', as he christened it, the papers collected here try to come to terms with the thinking of Goethe and Schiller on the symbol, and on related issues. Taken together, they attempt to elucidate the filiation of German classicism down through the nineteenth century to the present, in the belief that some of Cassirer's ideas have fed, often unacknowledged, into the mainstream of contemporary cultural theory, and that the rigour of his thought can help clear up much of the confusion in that 'theory'. (shrink)

Taking as its starting-point the interest in archaeological metaphors evinced by Freud and by Jung, this paper considers the project of analytical psychology under the rubric of the recently discussed term, ‘philosophical archaeology’. Noting the shared methodological assumptions and procedures between these two areas, the paper goes on to examine the extent to which Jung’s project can legitimately be considered as an archaeological pursuit in respect of two key aspects: its humanism, and its hermeneutics. In this second case, the paper (...) concludes, we can learn much from Jung’s recently published Red Book, sections of which may be profitably read through the lens of his seminal paper, ‘The Aims of Psychotherapy’. What emerges from this discussion is a clearer appreciation of the role of the archaic in Jung’s thought, an insight into the analytic consulting-room (as a place of the archetypal) as a third instance of the site of philosophical archaeology in addition to the archive (as a place of statement or l’énoncé) and the museum (as a place of expression), and a confirmation of Heidegger’s assertion that ‘the authenticity and greatness of historical knowledge reside in an understanding of the mysterious character of the beginning’. (shrink)

This study proposes to examine the tension in Nietzsche’s works between two competing discourses, i.e., the discourse of theology and the discourse of philology. It argues that, in order to understand Nietzsche’s complicated standpoint and the aim of his Kulturkritik, we have to appreciate how he operates with two different discourses, one indexed to belief, faith, liturgy (i.e., the discourse of theology) and another indexed to analytical reason, sceptical investigation, and logical argumentation, as well as historical context and linguistic precision (...) (i.e., the discourse of philology). Its core thesis is that, in the end, Nietzsche can no longer believe, because he thinks he has uncovered a fraudulent production of meaning in the texts, in a way that is comparable with his insight into the production of morality in On the Genealogy of Morals (1887). (shrink)

In contrast to the conventional view of Ludwig Feuerbach as a left-wing Young Hegelian, this article argues that his primary contribution to philosophy is to be found in his later ethics, the basis of which may be discerned in his earlier writings. Over and above recent work on Feuerbach's aesthetics, his relation to Herder, and the relationship between aesthetics and ‘theological politics’ in his thought, Feuerbach's philosophy can re-evaluated, in relation to Epicurus and the French libertin tradition, as articulating an (...) ethics of hedonism. In The Essence of Christianity (1841), the Nachlass fragment ‘Elementary Aesthetics’ (1843), and his Principles of the Philosophy of the Future (1843) Feuerbach moves towards the vitalist materialist position that culminates in his (proto-Nietzschean) insight in ‘Against the Dualism of Body and Soul, Flesh and Spirit’ (1846) into the world as an ‘aesthetic phenomenon’, thus laying the foundations for his recognition of the centrality of sensuous pleasure to the ethical life. (shrink)

The title of this volume—published in the series “Lisbon Philosophical Studies” devoted to “uses of language in interdisciplinary fields”—is potentially misleading, because its subject is, rather than linguistic morphology, the Morphologie associated with the German poet, playwright, and thinker, Johann Wolfgang Goethe. For Goethe, morphology is a science dedicated to the observation and description of everything that “is handled by chance and occasionally in other [sciences]”, and hence, it is intended to serve as a complement to any number of disciplines: (...) philosophy, art history, mathematics, cognitive science, linguistics, history, demography, computer science, and architecture . All these disciplines are, in one way or another, represented in this collection of papers, which arises from a project carried out at the IFL at the New University of Lisbon, the EHESS (School for Advanc .. (shrink)

Taking Plato’s allegory of the cave as its starting-point, this book demonstrates how later European thinkers can be read as a reaction and a response to key aspects of this allegory and its discourse of enchainment and liberation. Focusing on key thinkers in the tradition of European political thought including Kant, Marx, Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Frankfurt School, it relates them back to such foundational figures as Rousseau, Aristotle, and in particular Plato. All these thinkers are considered in relation (...) to key passages from their major works, accompanied by an explanatory commentary which seeks to follow a conceptual and imagistic thread through the labyrinth of these complex, yet fascinating, texts. This book will appeal in particular to scholars of political theory, philosophy, and German language and culture. (shrink)

The latest volume in the massive ongoing scholarly project that is the Historischer und kritischer Kommentar zu Friedrich Nietzsches Werken is a commentary by Barbara Neymeyr on Nietzsche’s UM, or at least the first two, “David Strauss, the Confessor and Writer” and “On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life.” In several respects this commentary on the first two “Untimelies” could not, in contradistinction to Nietzsche’s ironic title...

In einem früheren Artikel wurde untersucht, wie Philosophen wie Ernst Cassirer, Ludwig Klages und Max Scheler mit dem Themenkomplex „Geist und Leben“ umgingen. In ei nem zweiten Teil geht es über die Frage der Geist-Leben-Beziehung hinaus um die Frage, wie sich Cassirer mit der Lebensphilosophie im Allgemeinen (und mit der Philosophie von Ludwig Klages insbesondere) beschäftigt und zwar nicht nur damals in seinem Scheler Aufsatz, sondern auch im dritten, gleich 1929 veröffentlichten Band der Philosophie der symbolischen Formen sowie in den (...) Nachlassmanuskripten zum geplanten vierten Band. Aus dieser Untersuchung geht hervor, dass man Cassirer durchaus als Klages-Kenner ein stufen kann, und (a) auf dessen Klages-Kritik, (b) auf eine mögliche klagesianische Antwort darauf und schließlich (c) auf die wichtigen, in der Forschungsliteratur oft übersehenen Affinitäten zwischen Cassirer und Klages – vor allem hinsichtlich solcher Themen wie des Symbols, des Spieles und der Rolle des Ästhetischen – wird hier systematisch eingegangen. (shrink)

Volume 25, Issue 5, August 2020, Page 606-608.

This book offers an intellectual and cultural context for C. G. Jung's 1952 work. Initially greeted with controversy, Answer to Job has been neglected by many serious commentators on Jung. Jung's Answer to Job: A Commentary places the Answer to Job in the context of biblical commentary, and then examines the circumstances surrounding its composition and immediate reception. Jung's Answer to Job unravels Jung's narrative, offering a comprehensive re-reading of Jung's text, as well as a re-positioning in its cultural context. (...) Whilst remaining true to the tenets of analytical psychology, this commentary underlines Answer to Job 's greater significance in terms of cultural history. It will be invaluable to students and scholars of analytical psychology, religion and those who subscribe to Jung's ideas. (shrink)

The current interest in Jung shows no sign of abating, with international controversy surrounding the origins of analytical psychology. _Jung in Contexts_ is a unique collection of the most important essays on Jung and analytical psychology over the past two decades. A comprehensive introduction traces the growth and development of analytical psychology and its institutions. The nine essays which follow place Jung, the man and his work, in three important contexts: historical, literary and intellectual. In historical context, Jung's visions during (...) his confrontation with the unconscious, his attitude towards National Socialism, and the composition of his so-called autobiography are examined. Next, in literary context, two essays investigate Jung's reading of E.T.A. Hoffman, and Thomas Mann's reception of Jungian ideas. Finally, in intellectual context, Jung's work is viewed in terms of the traditions of German and French thought from which it drew so many impulses: Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Bergson. (shrink)

The current interest in Jung shows no sign of abating, with international controversy surrounding the origins of analytical psychology. _Jung in Contexts_ is a unique collection of the most important essays on Jung and analytical psychology over the past two decades. A comprehensive introduction traces the growth and development of analytical psychology and its institutions. The nine essays which follow place Jung, the man and his work, in three important contexts: historical, literary and intellectual. In historical context, Jung's visions during (...) his confrontation with the unconscious, his attitude towards National Socialism, and the composition of his so-called autobiography are examined. Next, in literary context, two essays investigate Jung's reading of E.T.A. Hoffman, and Thomas Mann's reception of Jungian ideas. Finally, in intellectual context, Jung's work is viewed in terms of the traditions of German and French thought from which it drew so many impulses: Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Bergson. (shrink)

Taking as its starting-point an aphorism in The gay science, this paper examines Nietzsche's distinction between the ‘total character of the world’ and the ‘astral order in which we live’. It relates this distinction, not only to Nietzsche's earlier claim in The Birth of Tragedy that ‘it is only as an aesthetic phenomenon that existence and the world are eternally justified’, but also, via Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, to Jung's concept of archetypal structures. Finally, it examines the case of one of (...) Jung's patients, a young labourer suffering from schizophrenia; Jung's interest in Hölderlin; and his discussion of the Stoic concept of heimarmene. (shrink)

The decision to split the Historischer und kritischer Nietzsche-Kommentar of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften on the four essays of the Unzeitgemässe Betrachtungen into two volumes, dealing with the first and second and with the third and fourth essays, respectively, points to the extent and depth of commentary required to gain access to these early, and sometimes overlooked, works by Nietzsche. One recalls that, originally, Nietzsche had planned not just four but thirteen essays, although he never got beyond completing four (...) and planning a fifth one, titled “We Philologists” —a project that, at the suggestion of Heinrich Köselitz, he set aside for... (shrink)

This book provides a unique overview of and introduction to the work of the German psychologist and philosopher Ludwig Klages (1872-1956), an astonishing figure in the history of German ideas. Central to intellectual life in turn-of-the-century Munich, he went on to establish a reputation for himself as an original and provocative thinker. Nowadays he is often overlooked, partly because of the absence of an accessible and authoritative introduction to his thought; this volume offers just such a point of entry. With (...) an emphasis on applicability and utility, Paul Bishop reinvigorates the discourse surrounding Klages, providing a neutral and compact account of his intellectual development and his impact on psychology and philosophy. Part 1 offers an overview of Klages's life, visiting the major stations of his intellectual development. Part 2 examines in turn nine major conceptual 'tools' found in Klages's extensive writings, aiming to clarify Klages's terminology, to demystify his discourse, and to sift through Klages's credentials as a psychological thinker. Part 3 consists of extracts from Klages's writings, thematically oriented; these showcase the aphoristic and lyrical, as well as psychological and philosophical, qualities of Klages's writing, including his interest in aesthetics. Taken together, all three parts constitute a vitalist 'toolkit' -- to build a fuller, richer life. Drawing on previous studies of Klages that have only been available in German, Ludwig Klages and the Philosophy of Life provides a non-polemical account of Klages's life and work, with explanations and commentaries to guide the reader through extracts from his writings. The book accessibly explains the most important ideas and concepts found in Klages's work, including soul, spirit, character, expression, will, and consciousness, and it reveals Klages to be a serious figure whose thought remains relevant to many disciplines today. It will stimulate interest in his work and create a new readership for his remarkable worldview. (shrink)

The first-ever English translation of one of the most important metaphysical works of the 20th century: "Of Cosmogonic Eros" by the German visionary Ludwig Klages. This monograph is dedicated entirely to an in-depth examination of the mysteries of Eros and the most powerful forms of ecstasy. "Of Cosmogonic Eros" greatly impressed and influenced thinkers and artists like Walter Benjamin and Alfred Kubin but also German esoteric circles and literaries such as the great Hermann Hesse who wrote that in this book (...) “the nearly unutterable has been forged into words”. This first English edition of "Of Cosmogonic Eros" also features a substantial contextualized introduction by Professor Paul Bishop of the University of Glasgow. (shrink)