Fictions

There is a confusion of ontological dimension in the zeitgeist: Reality and fiction seem indistinguishable nowadays. This does not only affect the mediated public sphere but also the self-understanding of the humanities. To escape this oneway street, Markus Gabriel develops a realistic philosophy of fictionality in his new book, which simultaneously lays the foundation for a theory of objectivity of the humanities. A fundamental philosophical work.

At its centre lies the ability of humans to form a self-concept, which is fundamentally socially reproduced without being socially constructed. Fictions – paradigmatic dramatis personae of our aesthetic imagination such as Anna Karenina, Macbeth, Mephistopheles or Jed Martin, the protagonist of Michel Houellebecq’s The Map and the Territory – are effective processes of selfrepresentation of man’s intellectual way of life. To acknowledge this, the anthropological place of imagination at the centre must be given its due. That way, Gabriel’s New Realism overcomes the erroneous antinomy of illusion and reality in order to recalibrate our endangered sense of what is real.

»Philosopher Markus Gabriel takes an in-depth approach to target to zeitgeist.« Uwe Justus Wenzel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»There is a lot Markus Gabriel has to tell us ...« Burkhard Müller, Süddeutsche Zeitung

»With Fictions, Markus Gabriel has accomplished a dense and richly intertwined work that is thoroughly recommendable as an antidote to the academic fashions of naturalism and constructivism.« Thomas Palzer, Deutschlandfunk

»The way Gabriel faces terminological confusion and vagueness is impressive. There is something both light and unequivocal about it when he – often in a few pages – critically incorporates theories such as Habermas' The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere in order to reframe it with a view to the digitalised public sphere.« Gert Scobel, Philosophie Magazin

»This author, who has only just turned 40, is the philosopher of the present.« Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung

»With his epistemology [Markus Gabriel has] his finger on the pulse of the time and shows that philosophy can be highly relevant outside ivory tower of academia as well.« Claas Christophersen, NDR