Kant and the Platypus - Essays on Language and Cognition

How do we know a cat is a cat? And why do we call it a cat? How much of our perception of things is based on cognitive ability, and how much on linguistic resources? Here, in six remarkable essays, Umberto Eco explores in depth questions of reality, perception, and experience. Basing his ideas on common sense, Eco shares a vast wealth of literary and historical knowledge, touching on issues that affect us every day. At once philosophical and amusing, Kant and the Platypus is a tour of the world of our senses, told by a master of knowing what is real and what is not.

About the author

Umberto Eco (1932–2016) was the author of numerous essay collections and seven novels, 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 was an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Summary

How do we know a cat is a cat? And why do we call it a cat? How much of our perception of things is based on cognitive ability, and how much on linguistic resources? Here, in six remarkable essays, Umberto Eco explores in depth questions of reality, perception, and experience. Basing his ideas on common sense, Eco shares a vast wealth of literary and historical knowledge, touching on issues that affect us every day. At once philosophical and amusing, Kant and the Platypus is a tour of the world of our senses, told by a master of knowing what is real and what is not.

Additional text

"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

Product details

• Authors: Umberto Eco
• Assisted by: Alastair McEwen (Translation)
• Publisher: Hachette Book Group USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 09.11.2000
• EAN: 9780156011594
• ISBN: 978-0-15-601159-4
• No. of pages: 480
• Dimensions: 135 mm x 203 mm x 31 mm
• Weight: 445 g
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Comparative Literature, Renaissance style, Literary theory, Literary reference works, Semiotics / semiology, Literary studies: plays and playwrights, PHILOSOPHY: MODERN, PSYCHOLOGY: COGNITION & THINKING, PHILOSOPHY: MIND, LITERARY CRITICISM: Comparative Literature, LITERARY COLLECTIONS: Letters, LITERATURE: LITERARY CRITICISM, LITERARY CRITICISM: Drama, LITERARY COLLECTIONS: Speeches, LITERARY CRITICISM: Reference, LITERARY CRITICISM: Semiotics & Theory, Literature / Literary Criticism, Psychology / Cognition & Thinking, Philosophy / Mind, Philosophy / Modern