Symbolic Worlds: Art, Science, Language, Ritual

Symbolism is a primary characteristic of the mind, deployed and displayed in every aspect of our thought and culture. In this important and broad-ranging book, Israel Scheffler explores the various ways in which the mind functions symbolically. This involves considering not only the world of science and the arts, but also such activities as religious ritual and child’s play. The book offers an integrated treatment of ambiguity and metaphor, analyses of play and ritual, and an extended discussion of the relations between scientific symbol systems and reality. What emerges is a picture of the basic symbol-forming character of the mind. In addition to philosophers of art and science, likely readers of this book will include students of linguistics, semiotics, anthropology, religion, and psychology.

• Has same kind of broad readership as Hausman’s Metaphor and Art • Topic of interdisciplinary interest • Scheffler is a distinguished philosopher with many books to his credit

Acknowledgements; Part I. Symbol and Reference: 1. Introduction and background; 2. Denotation and mention-selection; Part II. Symbol and Ambiguity: 3. Ambiguity in language; 4. Ambiguity in pictures; Part III. Symbol and Metaphor: 5. Ten myths of metaphor; 6. Metaphor and context; 7. Mainsprings of metaphor with Catherine Z. Elgin; Part IV. Symbol, Play and Art: 8. Reference and play; 9. Art, science, religion; Part V. Symbol and Ritual: 10. Symbol and ritual; 11. Ritual change; Part VI. Symbol and Reality: 12. Science and the world; 13. Worlds and versions; 14. World-features and discourse-dependence; 15. Worries about worldmaking; Index.

‘The scholarship throughout is impeccable, and the writing is clear, straightforward and attractive. … Symbolic Worlds is an important work of philosophy - broad in scope, careful, detailed, and ingenious in its argumentation. Its contributions will be welcomed …’

– Karen Hanson, Department of Philosophy, Indiana University, Bloomington