On the Ruins of Babel: Architectural Metaphor in German Thought (review)

Daniel Purdy's On the Ruins of Babel: Architectural Metaphor in German Thought traces the interdependence of architecture and philosophical discourse. Foregrounding the significance of architecture as a gauge of culture, Purdy examines the impact of this historically overlooked and discounted field on German philosophy from architecture's unstable disciplinary status in the Enlightenment to key debates surrounding the post-modern architectural constructions of late twentieth-and early twenty-first-century Berlin.

Purdy begins his study with a closer look at the moment in which the measured aesthetics of the classical and Renaissance periods give way to early Enlightenment concerns about the training and regulation of taste. Introductory chapters provide salient background information about the evolution and waning popularity of classical theories as well as contemporaneous problems concerning architecture's disciplinary classification. In the sections that follow, Purdy considers the use of architectural tropes in the writings of Kant, Goethe, Hegel, and Benjamin. He connects the works of these central thinkers from the German intellectual tradition to important developments in architectural discourse and practice in order to assess the reciprocal relationship between building practices and changing perceptions of self. In addition, he provides close readings of key passages from major works in order to explore the semantic interchange between architectural theory and philosophical inquiry.

The past decades have seen the publication of an increasing number of articles and book-length monographs devoted to specific architectural sites and construction trends. Critical literature has also addressed the importance of architecture in the works of individual philosophers and authors. These specialized studies have significantly broadened our understanding of architecture's status as a discipline and its importance for German culture and intellectual debate. While they often highlight shifts in thought about architecture, few, if any, provide the kind of comprehensive historical overview of architecture's influence on German philosophy that Purdy's book presents.

Above and beyond a discussion of the German discourse, Purdy situates his study of the intersections of architecture and philosophy within their wider European and international contexts. He outlines the impact of major architectural theories from Palladio to Giedion, discusses the importance of architecture in the philosophy of Descartes, and even considers the status of the World Trade Center in the contemporary consciousness of New Yorkers. Given its theoretical breadth and complexity of analysis, Purdy's investigation provides an essential complement to existing cultural criticism on architecture's position within a subjective, emotionally determined aesthetics from idealism to Benjamin and beyond.

Such a comprehensive study of the position of architecture within the post-Enlightenment German philosophical canon has certain drawbacks. The volume's meticulous attention to historical detail may provide challenges for readers who are not versed in architectural history and theories. This is especially true of the early chapters, where the density of theoretical and historical material might make it difficult to arrive at a general overview without multiple readings. Throughout the text, but especially in chapters devoted to examining the works of individual theorists, however, Purdy punctuates such information with close readings of important passages. These incisive analyses help underscore salient aspects of the overarching historical narrative, making major points and even finer details easier to retain. Moreover, they will provide even the veteran scholar of German philosophy with new insights.

Daniel Purdy's On the Ruins of Babel will most certainly be of great benefit to scholars of German cultural and visual studies and specialists in German history and philosophy. A timely contribution to the field of German studies, it holds far-reaching implications for those interested in the evolution of German aesthetic theory as well as those working in the fields of memory studies, urban and rural studies, and museum and monument studies, among others. The volume will also serve as a valuable tool for scholars of architecture, art historians, comparatists, and all who endeavor to rethink the connections between architecture and the history of ideas.