Herder and the Poetics of Thought

Michael M Morton provides a rigorous scholarly examination of Johann Gottfried Herder in Herder and the Poetics of Thought, Volume 1. This academic work centers on a close reading of the 1764 essay, On Diligence in Several Learned Languages. Morton argues that Herder's complex rhetorical style is fundamental to his philosophical substance rather than a mere obstacle to comprehension. By analyzing the interplay between overt propositions and poetic techniques, the text explores how meaning emerges from both discursive and gestural dimensions.

As a significant contribution to German studies and intellectual history, Herder and the Poetics of Thought, Volume 1, reassesses Herder's influence on German Idealism and the foundations of Romanticism. The book examines his role in shaping linguistic and historicist paradigms. This volume serves as a vital resource for researchers specializing in the philosophy of language, the philosophy of history, and the intellectual landscape of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.