Leiden University Student Repository

Vos, Koenraad (2016)

The Reality of Symbols. Edgar Wind as a Philosopher of Human-Thing Entanglement

Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)

Edgar Wind (1900-1971) was a philosopher and art historian who developed a theory of the symbolic inspired by both the work of Warburg and Peirce. This thesis explores the way his philosophy engaged with questions about humanism, human freedom, and the status of scientific knowledge. Wind's engagement with these issues resulted a realist philosophy based on a view of symbolic representation as embodiment. In the end this is related to current discussions on human-thing entanglement within the material turn and the problems surrounding agency.

material turn

agency

symbols

realism

embodiment

Author

Vos, Koenraad

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Eck, C.A. van

ECTS Credits

30

Language

en