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Speech and Reality
"Rosenstock-Huessy's interpretation of speech challenges the language philosophy of the epoch from Parmenides to Hegel, in which a metaphysics of spirit has overshadowed speech and a turning to abstractions has led to a forgetting of God."
(Theologische Revue)
(Theologische Revue)
- GenresPhilosophyEducation
201 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 1970
5 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy
73 books34 followersEugen Rosenstock-Hüssy (July 6, 1888 – February 24, 1973) was a historian and social philosopher, whose work spanned the disciplines of history, theology, sociology, linguistics and beyond. Born in Berlin, Germany into a non-observant Jewish family, the son of a prosperous banker, he converted to Christianity in his late teens, and thereafter the interpretation and reinterpretation of Christianity was a consistent theme in his writings. He met and married Margrit Hüssy in 1914. In 1925, the couple legally combined their names. They had a son, Hans, in 1921.
Rosenstock-Huessy served as an officer in the German army during World War I. His experience caused him to reexamine the foundations of liberal Western culture. He then pursued an academic career in Germany as a specialist in medieval law, which was disrupted by the rise of Nazism. In 1933, after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, he emigrated to the United States where he began a new academic career, initially at Harvard University and then at Dartmouth College, where he taught from 1935 to 1957.
Although never part of the mainstream of intellectual discussion during his lifetime, his work drew the attention of W. H. Auden, Harold Berman, Martin Marty, Lewis Mumford, Page Smith, and others. Rosenstock-Huessy may be best known as the close friend of and correspondent with Franz Rosenzweig. Their exchange of letters is considered by scholars of religion and theology to be indispensable in the study of the modern encounter of Jews with Christianity. In his work, Rosenstock-Huessy discussed speech and language as the dominant shaper of human character and abilities in every social context. He is viewed as belonging to a group of thinkers who revived post-Nietzschean religious thought.
Rosenstock-Huessy served as an officer in the German army during World War I. His experience caused him to reexamine the foundations of liberal Western culture. He then pursued an academic career in Germany as a specialist in medieval law, which was disrupted by the rise of Nazism. In 1933, after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, he emigrated to the United States where he began a new academic career, initially at Harvard University and then at Dartmouth College, where he taught from 1935 to 1957.
Although never part of the mainstream of intellectual discussion during his lifetime, his work drew the attention of W. H. Auden, Harold Berman, Martin Marty, Lewis Mumford, Page Smith, and others. Rosenstock-Huessy may be best known as the close friend of and correspondent with Franz Rosenzweig. Their exchange of letters is considered by scholars of religion and theology to be indispensable in the study of the modern encounter of Jews with Christianity. In his work, Rosenstock-Huessy discussed speech and language as the dominant shaper of human character and abilities in every social context. He is viewed as belonging to a group of thinkers who revived post-Nietzschean religious thought.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 20, 2022
Mind-blowing. Nuggets of gold on every page. The “cross of reality,” the relationship between speech and identity, his take-down of Cartesian philosophy, the relationship between listening and maturing, the different types and roles of speech… profound, eye-opening stuff.
January 2, 2014
Be prepared to put together the paragraphs like a 200 page long puzzle, but it's so worth it. This is not something I would get much out of without taking notes.
September 30, 2019
A deep work on speech and mans'social existence.
October 25, 2010
It is a little hard to know how to review this book. It is ERH's most mature expression of his philosophy, and a full explanation of how he views the world from the perspective of the cross of reality. It is not very readable, nor accessible; and takes some commitment and concerted effort to make your way through it.
However, it is well worth the effort. In Speech and reality he lays out a method of social science he call the grammatical method. In this method he shows that speech is a way to man(kind) to discover himself, and how his institutions can be understood. His conception of reality as the "Cross of Reality" is a way to understand where we are in both time (past/future) and space (inward/outward).
Not for the faint of heart - be necessary for those that want understand the importance of language in thought and communication (speaking and listening), and how we are to relate to all of humanity (from past to future and now; and in relation to those near in community to those who are outside).
However, it is well worth the effort. In Speech and reality he lays out a method of social science he call the grammatical method. In this method he shows that speech is a way to man(kind) to discover himself, and how his institutions can be understood. His conception of reality as the "Cross of Reality" is a way to understand where we are in both time (past/future) and space (inward/outward).
Not for the faint of heart - be necessary for those that want understand the importance of language in thought and communication (speaking and listening), and how we are to relate to all of humanity (from past to future and now; and in relation to those near in community to those who are outside).
Want to Read
April 17, 2012From Rushdoony: --- In Speech and Reality (1970), Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy wrote of the social dangers and evils confronting modern civilization. These are, he said, first, anarchy. In anarchy, people and classes "do not care to come to an agreement." Instead of ties uniting men, there are now divisions only, with each pursuing his own interest. Second, decadence is a very great evil. Decadence is manifested at a critical point: parents do not have "the stamina of converting the next generation to their own aims and ends. Decadence is the disease of liberalism today." The consequence is the barbarization of the younger generation. Since they are not made heirs of the past and its faith, they become the barbarians of the present. (The modern family, like the modern school, is a school for barbarians.) "The only energy that can fight this evil is faith. Faith, properly speaking, never is a belief in things of the past, but of the future. Lack of faith is a synonym for decadence," Rosenstock-Huessy held.
http://chalcedon.edu/research/article...
http://chalcedon.edu/research/article...
September 24, 2008
Rosenstock-Hussey grapples with the notion of the true meaning of speech combining natural sciences with social science (a science which was historically overlooked). He looks closely and cautiously at speech as "coming from man" and preceeding true human thought.
How people speak and listen defines the direction of a given society. People decide in every given moment between continuing down a path or changing a path.
I am particularily drawn to this subject matter as i am a teacher by profession and a student by nature. R. Huessy emphasizes that the student represents the future and the teacher stresses the past. The teacher brings the traditions of mankind to light and thereby passes information on to the next generation.
Is man real without speech? We all crave self-realization. and language is a means to discover the truth.
the only part i struggled with in this text was any angle that might have misconstrued as "religious".
How people speak and listen defines the direction of a given society. People decide in every given moment between continuing down a path or changing a path.
I am particularily drawn to this subject matter as i am a teacher by profession and a student by nature. R. Huessy emphasizes that the student represents the future and the teacher stresses the past. The teacher brings the traditions of mankind to light and thereby passes information on to the next generation.
Is man real without speech? We all crave self-realization. and language is a means to discover the truth.
the only part i struggled with in this text was any angle that might have misconstrued as "religious".
May 29, 2013
I think u read this many years ago. I just re-read 3/4 of it again. It's insightful and hard going.
The key point is the Cross of Reality which can be used and reapplied all over the place. The priority of language for put understanding of reality, society etc is key, especially SS Christ is the Word.
The key point is the Cross of Reality which can be used and reapplied all over the place. The priority of language for put understanding of reality, society etc is key, especially SS Christ is the Word.
August 8, 2013
No matter how profound Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy's linguistic insights are (as I've been told by many), his stream-of-consciousness writing style drives me crazy. I simply don't enjoy reading what he writes. It's all over the map and very difficult to utilize because of that.
April 22, 2009
Excellent. Masterful methodology for a grammatical sociology. Marvelous insights into grammars structure. Over-dense language.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews