An Essay on Man

by Ernst Cassirer

Drawing upon a wealth of scientific, anthropological and historical date, the author examines man's efforts to understand himself and to deal with the problems of his universe through the creation and use of symbols. Analyzes the major symbolic forms of human enterprise: language, myth, art, religion, history and science. Discusses such subjects as the origins of language, doctrines of aesthetics, Frazer's theory of magic, the religious significance of taboo, the symbolic implications of philosophic thought from Heraclitus to Kierkegaard and Einstein.

More by Ernst Cassirer

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?