Title:  Interpreting Man Author:  Dennis M. Weiss, ed. Series:  Critical Studies in the Humanities Imprint:  The Davies Group, Publishers soft cover 220 pp. USD  20.00 ISBN 978-1888570663 2002   Are human beings little more than complicated animals? Are we defined by our biology? What role does culture play in shaping us? Can science account for the whole of our nature? These perennial philosophical questions are being raised with new urgency in recent provocative debates that include mapping the human genome, cloning, nature/nurture, animal rights, robotics, and the merits of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology. In order to address these questions, Interpreting Man brings together, for the first time, substantial selections devoted to a critical examination of what it means to be human, from the works of an international group of philosophers and social theorists. The essays comprising this collection, many of which have been out-of- print and no longer widely available, offer thought-provoking insights into human nature, and provide a framework for understanding issues that go to the heart of contemporary philosophical, scientific and humanistic studies. Focusing on themes such as laughing and crying, the upright posture, the nature of culture and symbolism, and social and interpersonal relations, they represent some of the finest contemporary perspectives on human nature and are an essential resource for anyone with a strong interest in philosophy, women’s studies, anthropology, sociology and psychology.   Contents Acknowledgments Preface—Douglas Browning Dennis Weiss, The Anthropological Task Max Scheler, Man’s Place in Nature Arnold Gehlen, Man: His Place and Nature Ernst Cassirer, The Symbolic Animal Helmuth Plessner, Laughing and Crying Michael Landmann, The System of Anthropina Martin Buber, Elements of the Interhuman José Ortega y Gasset, The Self and the Other Erwin Straus, The Upright Posture   About the author Dennis M. Weiss is Associate Professor of Philosophy at York College of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Emory University and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from The University of Texas at Austin. His published works are in the area of philosophical anthropology, philosophy of technology, and the emerging cyberculture.