Language and Magic

Studies in the Magical Function of Speech,
*[A5+] Paperback - 209 pages,

by Toshihiko Izutsu,

Published by The Other Press.

Description :

The power of language has come to hold the central position in our conception of human mentality. Today, the man in the street has realised with astonishment how easy it is to be deceived and misled by words. The 'magical' power of the word has caught the attention of those who explore the nature of the human mind and the structure of human knowledge.

This work by the late Japanese scholar, first published in 1956, tackles this complex and difficult subject. He studies the worldwide belief in the magical power of language, and examines its influence on man's thought and action.

 "Language, on this assumption, will be conceived as a very
complex and characteristically double-faced halfway thing,
neither purely magical nor again perfectly logical, but always
fluctuating in varying degrees between the two poles, from
the lowest, i.e, openly superstitious use of words to the most
   objective statement of fact in the scientific type of discourse."

About the Author :

Toshihiko Izutsu (1914-93) a member of the Japan Academy and Professor Emeritus at Keio University in Tokyo, was a distinguished scholar of Oriental philosophy and of Islamic thought. He was a member of the Institute International de Philosophie (Paris) and a professor at McGill University in Canada and at the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy in Tehran. He also lectured at the Eranos Conference for fifteen years (1967-82).


In his writing Izutsu tackled the great range of Oriental philosophy ― from Jewish, Islamic, and Indian philosophies to Taoism and Japanese Buddhism. Among his English works are Language and Magic, Sufism and Taoism, Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur'ān, and Toward a Philosophy of Zen Buddhism.


His books in Japanese include 'Mystical Aspect of Greek Philosophy,' A Fountainhead of Islamic Philosophy,  Consciousness and Essence, and a translation of the Qur'ān in Japanese.

Table of Contents :

---Preface,

---[1]. Introductory,

------Between Magic & Logic,

---[2]. The Mythical View of Language,

---[3]. The Sacred Breath,

---[4]. Verbal Magic in the Midst of Modern Civilisation,

---[11]. The Heightened Language,

---Index.

Also see Sociology & Literature.

*Dimensions : 23 x 15.1cm.