The Readability of the World

by Hans Blumenberg, Robert Savage (Translator), David Roberts (Translator)

The Readability of the World represents Hans Blumenberg's first extended demonstration of the metaphorological method he pioneered in Paradigms for a Metaphorology. For Blumenberg, metaphors are symptomatic of patterns of thought and feeling that escape conceptual formulation but are nonetheless indispensable, because they allow humans to orient themselves in an otherwise overwhelming world. The Readability of the World applies this method to the idea that the world presents itself as a book. The metaphor of the book of nature has been central to Western interpretations of reality, and Blumenberg traces the evolution of this metaphor from ancient Greek cosmology to the model of the genetic code to access the different expectations of reality that it articulates, reflects, and projects. Writing with equal authority on literature and science, theology and philosophy, ancient metaphysics and twentieth-century biochemistry, Blumenberg advances rich and original interpretations of the thinking of a range of canonical figures, including Berkeley, Vico, Goethe, Spinoza, Leibniz, Bacon, Flaubert, and Freud. Through his interdisciplinary, anthropologically sharpened gaze, Blumenberg uncovers a wealth of new insights into the continuities and discontinuities across human history of the longing to contain all of nature, history, and reality in a book, from the Bible, the Talmud, and the Qur'an to Diderot's Encyclopedia and Humboldt's Cosmos to the ACGT of the DNA code.

Genres: Philosophy

426 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 1986

About the author

Hans Blumenberg (1920-1996) was a prominent German philosopher, known for his work in intellectual history and phenomenology. He is best remembered for his development of "metaphorology," a method that investigates the role of metaphors in shaping human thought, particularly in philosophy and culture. Blumenberg's most famous works include The Legitimacy of the Modern Age (1966) and The Genesis of the Copernican World (1975), where he explored the historical and philosophical implications of metaphors and their transformative effects on human understanding.
Born in Lübeck, Germany, Blumenberg's career spanned several prestigious academic positions, including professorships at the University of Hamburg, University of Gießen, and University of Münster. His intellectual contributions deeply influenced fields such as philosophy, literary studies, and history of ideas. He was particularly concerned with how philosophical concepts were deeply intertwined with metaphors and how these shaped the intellectual trajectories of entire periods, like the Renaissance or the Enlightenment.
Blumenberg's work focused not only on philosophy but also on the philosophy of technology, language, and aesthetics, drawing from a broad range of sources, including phenomenology, historical analysis, and myth theory. His exploration of "absolute metaphors" — ideas that transcend their original metaphorical contexts and become integral to philosophical and cultural systems — marked a major contribution to postwar German thought.

Reviews

[Hendrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine von der Bibel bis zum genetischen Code reichende Metapherngeschichte der Lesbarkeit. Die Welt als Buch, das vom Menschen gelesen werden kann. Ob das Buch der Offenbarung, die große französische Encyclopédie oder Alexander von Humboldts Kosmos – die Beispiele sind mannigfaltig, aber bisher blieb der Anspruch das »Ganze der Erfahrbarkeit« in einem Buch zu fassen unerfüllt. Das wird vermutlich auch in Zukunft so bleiben. So gesehen ist Die Lesbarkeit der Welt eine Chronik der gescheiterten Hoffnung. Was Hans Blumenbergs Ausführungen allerdings nicht weniger wertvoll macht.

[Florin Buzdugan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fenomanela istorie a lizibilității

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

filozof opće prakse plus izvanredan stilist