Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man

The treatise by Friedrich Schiller on the role of art in society is one of the deepest works of German philosophy. The book, first published in 1795, is still relevant today.
Starting with a political analysis of contemporary society - in particular, the French Revolution and its inability to realize universal freedom, Schiller remarks that people cannot overcome their circumstances without education. He considers art as a means of education that can free people from the limitations and excesses of both pure nature and pure intellect. Through aesthetic experience, he argues, people can reconcile the inner antagonism between feeling and intellect, nature and reason.
Schiller's proposal of art as fundamental to the development of society and individuality is a long-term influential concept, and this volume provides the clearest, most vital expression of his philosophy.