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Although I get through a lot of books, for all sorts of reasons I don't post about much of what I read.

Recently, however, I've finished a book that I found most stimulating, Susanne K Langer's "Philosophy in a New Key: a study in the symbolism of reason, rite, and art" ; it's a book that deserves a revival in popularity, and is one that might well be of interest to anyone with an interest in aesthetics, and philosophy, the arts and humanities more generally, whether that interest be academic, professional, or purely personal.

I was prompted to read this book by the pleasure I've taken in watching the Kpop video I mention in this post: https://c.im/@jemmesedi/111640046489730383

I wanted to gain a better understanding of how a piece like this could express feeling through music and dance. ""Philosophy in a New Key" has helped me think about, even if not entirely resolve, that problem in aesthetics. Langer's thinking on aesthetics depends in large part on a distinction she makes between discursive and presentational forms of symbolism.

For more on this distinction and Langer in general, read the article linked in the second post in this thread.

Image: Susanne Langer 1925 -- Monozigote -- Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 -- Wikimedia Commons.

#Philosophy #Books #Aesthetics #SusanneKLanger #PhilosophyInANewKey