The author introduces the little-known symbol philosophy of Ernst Cassirer and demonstrates how it opens the door to mental life. In clear and readable prose, he shows how symbol philosophy enables us to understand “consciousness” and “creativity,” two subjects that have long been resistant to explanation. He explores such matters as the nature of our perceiving, the way in which our concepts are formed, and the role that language plays in our seeing and thinking. Overcoming traditional divisions between “objective” and “subjective,” “I” and “world,” and “mind” and “body,” he refers frequently to our everyday experience to validate his ideas.