Cassirer and Heidegger in Davos

The Philosophical Arguments

Simon Truwant (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium)

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English

Cambridge University Press
19 May 2022

The 1929 encounter between Ernst Cassirer and Martin Heidegger in Davos, Switzerland is considered one of the most important intellectual debates of the twentieth century and a founding moment of continental philosophy. At the same time, many commentators have questioned the philosophical profundity and coherence of the actual debate. In this book, the first comprehensive philosophical analysis of the Davos debate, Simon Truwant challenges these critiques. He argues that Cassirer and Heidegger's disagreement about the meaning of Kant's philosophy is motivated by their different views about the human condition, which in turn are motivated by their opposing conceptions of what the task of philosophy ultimately should be. Truwant shows that Cassirer and Heidegger share a grand philosophical concern: to comprehend and aid the human being's capacity to orient itself in and towards the world.

By: Simon Truwant (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Belgium)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 158mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 540g
ISBN: 9781316519882
ISBN 10: 1316519880
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 19 May 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction: what is at stake in the Davos debate?; 1. Reconstructing the Davos debate; Part I. The Lasting Meaning of Kant's Thoughts: 2. Cassirer's transformation of the critique of reason into a critique of culture; 3. Heidegger's reading of transcendental philosophy as phenomenological ontology; 4. Receptivity or spontaneity: two readings of the Critique of Pure Reason; Part II. 'What Is the Human Being?': 5. Cassirer's functional account of the 'animal symbolicum'; 6. Heidegger's existential analytic of 'Dasein'; 7. Infinity and finitude: the quest for existential orientation; Part III. The Task of Philosophy: 8. Cassirer's functional conception of philosophy; 9. Heidegger's hermeneutic conception of philosophy; 10. Enlightenment or therapy: the cosmopolitan task of philosophy; Conclusion: the terminus a quo and terminus ad quem of the Davos debate.

Simon Truwant is FWO Postdoctoral Fellow at KU Leuven. He is the editor of Interpreting Cassirer: Critical Essays (Cambridge University Press, 2021) and has published articles in journals including Epoche, Idealistic Studies, and International Journal of Philosophical Studies.

Reviews for Cassirer and Heidegger in Davos: The Philosophical Arguments

'Simon Truwant's book provides a rigorous and clear analysis of the philosophical issues that distinguished the positions of Ernst Cassirer and Martin Heidegger during their epoch-making debate at Davos in 1929. His original work provides an important contribution to enriching our understanding of the genealogy and the dynamics of twentieth century thought.' Jeffrey A. Barash, Universite de Picardie Jules Verne 'Truwant's book should be the starting point for anyone interested in the philosophical meaning of the famous 'debate' between Heidegger and Cassirer in Davos. Going far beyond the debate itself, the book offers a lucid, meticulously researched account of the philosophical positions Heidegger and Cassirer brought to the debate, an astute analysis of their relation to Kant, and a thoughtful assessment of the implications for philosophy today. A first-rate achievement.' Steven Crowell, Rice University