Sign-In
Cart
The Realm of Essence: Book First of Realm of Being
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781025439938
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 216
Weight: 0.68
Height: 0.46 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Realm of Essence marks the foundational opening to George Santayana's magnum opus, Realms of Being. In this profound philosophical inquiry, Santayana distinguishes the realm of essence from the realms of matter, spirit, and truth. He defines essences as the infinite, immutable, and universal qualities that are present to the mind, yet independent of the physical world's actual existence. Unlike material objects that change and perish, essences are viewed as eternal and self-identical, serving as the necessary vocabulary for all human thought and perception.
Santayana's prose is celebrated for its literary elegance and precision, successfully bridging the gap between rigorous ontological investigation and poetic insight. By exploring the nature of identity and the status of logical possibilities, the author provides a unique form of critical realism that respects both the physical universe and the ideal structures of human experience. This work remains a cornerstone of early 20th-century thought, offering a systematic approach to understanding how we categorize and relate to the myriad forms of reality. The Realm of Essence is essential reading for students of metaphysics, epistemology, and the history of American philosophy.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Also from
Santayana, George
The Life of Reason: or, The Phases of Human Progress - All Five Volumes, Complete and Unabridged
Santayana, George
Paperback
The Life of Reason: or, The Phases of Human Progress - All Five Volumes, Complete and Unabridged (Hardcover)
Santayana, George
Hardcover
The Unknowable: The Herbert Spencer Lecture Delivered at Oxford, 24 October, 1923
Santayana, George
Paul, J. G. D'Arcy
Garrett, Alice Warder
Hardcover
The Life of Reason; Or, the Phases of Human Progress: Introduction, and Reason in Common Sense
Santayana, George
Paperback
The Life of Reason; Or, the Phases of Human Progress: Introduction, and Reason in Common Sense
Santayana, George
Hardcover
The Unknowable: The Herbert Spencer Lecture Delivered at Oxford, 24 October, 1923
Paul, J. G. D'Arcy
Garrett, Alice Warder
Santayana, George
Paperback
Also in
Philosophy
Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea
Taylor, Astra
Hunt-Hendrix, Leah
Hardcover
In the Beginning Was the Deed: Realism and Moralism in Political Argument
Williams, Bernard
Paperback
The American Indian Mind in a Linear World: American Indian Studies and Traditional Knowledge
Fixico, Donald Lee
Paperback
Dreaming of Cinema: Spectatorship, Surrealism, and the Age of Digital Media
Lowenstein, Adam
Paperback
Machine Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm: Spiritual Freedom and the Re-Animation of Matter
Lafitte, Luke
Paperback
The Sociogony: Social Facts and the Ontology of Objects, Things, and Monsters
Worrell, Mark P.
Paperback
On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Unpublished and Selected Writings
Pirsig, Wendy K.
Pirsig, Robert M.
Hardcover
The Electromagnetic Brain: Em Field Theories on the Nature of Consciousness
Joye, Shelli Renée
Paperback
Philosophy in Turbulent Times: Canguilhem, Sartre, Foucault, Althusser, Deleuze, Derrida
Roudinesco, Elisabeth
Paperback
The New Science of Giambattista Vico: Unabridged Translation of the Third Edition (1744) with the Addition of Practic of the New Science
Vico, Giambattista
Paperback
The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy
Giridharadas, Anand
Hardcover
The Dream of Reason: A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance
Gottlieb, Anthony
Paperback
The Modes of Scepticism: Ancient Texts and Modern Interpretations
Barnes, Jonathan
Julia, Annas
Annas, Julia
Paperback
Suffering and the Search for Meaning: Contemporary Responses to the Problem of Pain
Rice, Richard
Paperback
Friendship and Society: An Introduction to Augustine's Practical Philosophy
Burt, Donald X.
Paperback
The Philosophy of John Dewey: Volume 1. the Structure of Experience. Volume 2: The Lived Experience
Dewey, John
Paperback
Essays V2: Moral And Entertaining On The Various Faculties And Passions Of The Human Mind (1815)
Clarendon, Edward Hyde Earl of
Paperback
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Holiday, Ryan
Hanselman, Stephen
Hardcover
The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us
Goldstein, Rebecca Newberger
Hardcover
The Obstacle Is the Way Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph
Holiday, Ryan
Hardcover
Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us about Living
Jones, Peter
Hardcover
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness
Godfrey-Smith, Peter
Paperback
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Fifth Anniversary Limited Edition: The Global Bestseller
Mackesy, Charlie
Hardcover
Bless & Release: The physics of letting go-and wanting what's meant for you.
Laporte, Danielle
Paperback
The Ethical Slut, Third Edition: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, and Other Freedoms in Sex and Love
Hardy, Janet W.
Easton, Dossie
Paperback
Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Wisdom for Inspiration and Healing from the Heart of Japan
Yoda, Hiroko
Hardcover
Self-Reliance and Nature: The Complete First and Second Series of Emerson's Essays
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
Hardcover