From structuralism to culturalism: Ernst cassirer’s philosophy of symbolic forms

Abstract

Investigating the neo-Kantian origins of structuralism and culturalism, this article analyses the development of Cassirer’s thought by following his intellectual progression from knowledge to culture, and from culture to praxis. The article is in two parts. In the first part, the author presents an analysis of Cassirer’s relational conception of knowledge. In the second part, the critique of knowledge is superseded by a critique of culture. The author analyses Cassirer’s anthropological philosophy of symbolic forms and critically compares it to Simmel’s vitalist theory of culture. The article ends with a plea for a practical sociology inspired by Cassirer’s return to Kant's practical philosophy.