The Bloomsbury Handbook of Susanne K. Langer

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Once an overlooked figure in 20th-century philosophy, Susanne K. Langer has become a prominent thinker among philosophers and artists, particularly because of her development of a new theory of art from symbolic logic. This open access book brings together a collection of major thinkers on Langer and elucidates her transdisciplinary connections and insights across philosophy, psychology, literature, aesthetics, history and the arts. Adopting two approaches to Langer's life and philosophy, Part I places her historically, documenting her origins and extensions and acknowledging Langer's relationship to rich, ongoing traditions. Part II situates her work in conversation with current scholarship, expanding her ideas to provide new insights into current discussions about affect, materialism, embodied cognition, virtuality and the new media. By recognizing Langer's influences and contribution to contemporary knowledge, this international team of contributors positions her firmly in mainstream theory and asserts Langers ongoing importance to intellectual histories. Langers philosophical achievements, emerging from a web of key movements, make her a visionary of her time. For anyone looking to understand Langer's impact and relevance for postmodern sciences and culture studies, here is the place to start. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

Reviews

A brilliant and convincing endeavor showing the broad horizon of Susanne Langers ideas and thought. This book, dedicated to her unique approach to the logic and the symbolic, will help making new concepts for the arts. A most needed guidance to understanding the human mind in the age of AI. * Elisabeth von Samsonow, Professor for Philosophical Anthropology of Art, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria *
This outstanding volume gathers the best contemporary experts from the various fields that Susanne K. Langer tackled in her philosophy from logics to the aesthetics of sound or dance. Just as Langer herself overcame philosophys neglect of certain issues, this book will overcome the oblivion of Langers work. * Robert Pfaller, Professor of Philosophy, University of Art and Industrial Design in Linz, Austria *
This rich collection revisits Langer's work from new perspectives as well as attempts new connections and applications of her philosophy to the artistic innovations of the 21st century. The preface and introduction detail essential aspects of the life and academic career of Langer, making the book an indispensable resource for contemporary philosophy and culture. * Vernica Tozzi Thompson, Associate Professor of Philosophy of History, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina *

Author Bio

Lona Gaikis is an independent researcher, author, and curator. She is affiliated with research and teaching to the Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria.