Blumenberg, Hans

Hans Blumenberg (German: [ˈbluːmənˌbɛʁk]; 13 July 1920, Lübeck – 28 March 1996, Altenberge) was a German philosopher and intellectual historian who studied philosophy, German studies, and the classics (1939–47, interrupted by World War II). He created metaphorology, theorizing that what lies under metaphors and language modisms is closer to truth and further from ideology. His last works, especially "Care Crosses the River" ("Die Sorge geht über den Fluss"), are attempts to apprehend human reality through metaphors and involuntary expressions. Digging under apparently meaningless anecdotes of the history of occidental thought and literature, he mapped expressions, examples, and gestures that flourished in discussions of greater matters. His readings were idiosyncratic and full of signs, indications, and suggestions, sometimes ironic, to warn against the force of revealed truth and for the beauty of a world in confusion.