Three Dimensions On The World Of Human Being: Symbol-Meaning-Culture

For a long time the cognitive attitude of culture al philosophy towards the researching work over Cassirer philosophy of culture has directly led to underestimation of the influence of Cassirer philosophy of culture on the philosophy of the twentieth century, partly by vague understanding of the development of AN ESSAY ON MAN. Combined with the two inclinations of western philosophy, the general direction to modern humanization and various innovations and diversions of modern philosophy, with Kant's critique philosophy as theoretic background and resources of philosophy of culture, this article analyzes Cassirer philosophy of culture and summarizes the philosophic development from epistemology to anthropology as the theoretic premise of AN ESSAY ON MAN. It is the conversion of anthropology that Cassirer realizes that culture philosophy solves not only the problem of cultural theory but also fundamentally the practical and ethic problem of culture. Culture philosophy concerns knowledge and more global problem on relations between people. Cultural philosophy has the start of theoretic construction on human world and gets its theoretic basis from philosophy of anthropology, which promotes him to remake a new beginning, write a bran-new book-- AN ESSAY ON MAN. Under the conversion of thinking modes from substance to function, AN ESSAY ON MAN concretely narrates human world and its three dimensions: symbolic world that reveals the creative feature of human symbolic activity in the conversion from ration to symbol; world of meaning that explains human creative ability in the media of many culture forms in the conversion from epistemology and theory of significance; cultural world that shows diversity and unification of human activity from rational criticism to cultural criticism. Furthermore, the logical thinking way of"Human—Cultural anthology—Human anthropology"fixes philosophy of human anthropology as the reasonable mode of philosophy and era duty of modern philosopher. Thus this article holds the opinion that it is from AN ESSAY ON MAN that to study the entire cultural philosophy of Cassirer and really grasp his basic problems and marked features and reveal his theoretic contributions in horizontal contrast. Preserving the classical sprites and conforming the basic conversion of modern philosophy, the human cultural philosophy of unified functions and diversity constructed by Cassirer propels such philosophic conversion from rational criticism to cultural criticism on the twentieth century and effectively promotes the rush of post-modernism and prosperity of cultural theory. Meanwhile, it also predicts the future inclination of philosophy from the value of relative dependant theory. Therefore AN ESSAY ON MAN is the sutra text of human theory of the west the twentieth century and is the masterpiece of cultural conversion on philosophy and the forerunning works of concrete cultural theory. It is Cassirer representative cultural conversion in modern philosophy and the research work towards his cultural philosophy that helps us have deeper understanding the practical conversion of Marxism philosophy under such background and survey critically cultural conversion of modern western philosophy, moreover, further develop and consummate Marxist philosophy on the basis of practical point and open horizon.The thesis includes three parts:Chapter One: The first part analyzes the modernization process of humanization on philosophy to show that the western philosophy enters entire development on humanity after cognition of God humanization and demonstrates the general modern theme and principle as theoretic design of human world through the media of the mode of human activity. Towards the transitional meaning of Kant's cognition revolution, Cassirer has undergone such gradual understanding process from epistemology to anthropology and similar conversion of his cultural philosophy. Spreading the rational criticism of Kant's theory of episteme to the criticism of entire culture and developing philosophic concerns from knowledge to the construction of culture, Symbol form philosophy constructs a cultural philosophy of unified functions and diverse forms and form a set of culture theories on concrete myth,language and scientific analysis on symbol form, mainly through the revolution from substance to functional thinking mode and the conversion from metaphysics to phenomenology and the relative interpretation of the theories of"symbol-function-symbol form". Cassirer realizes that cultural philosophy concerns more the global cultural problem on human relations than the knowledge of culture. Just under such conversion of anthropology, The Logic of the Humanities for the first time specify the concept of human world and dual directions. So from the portrait analysis on his cultural philosophy, the first premise could be drawn: philosophy concerns human beings and cultural philosophy has the start of theoretic construction on human world and gets its theoretic basis from philosophy of anthropology.Chapter Two: The second part unscrambles and theoretically criticizes AN ESSAY ON MAN, introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture. His book mainly tells the cultural way on humanity and comes down to anthropology into theoretic form of cultural anthropology from the relative theory of Symbol-Meaning-Culture, which sets human culture world as the start and end of culture philosophy. Cassirer interprets the three dimensions of human world from the point of view of human activity. On one hand culture anthropology cuts the bandage of humanity caused by adherence and uplifts human initiative and creation and advocates diversity and difference of human by releasing simplicity on humanity. On the other hand, the definition of human culture neglects the original practice activity of human whereas differentia definition of humanity only get abstract sense of humanity and simple sense of life, which culture anthropology still can not explain the concrete and actual human nature.Chapter Three: The third part points that on the basis of vertical analysis on beginning and ending of Cassirer cultural philosophy and facing generally existing cultural crisis and living dilemma, Cassirer puts up with philosophy of human culture and human anthropology as the reasonable mode of philosophy and era duty of modern philosopher. Thus it is most suitable from AN ESSAY ON MAN to study Cassirer culture philosophy. Multiply connotations of culture concept represent his philosophy with thinking tension,dialectic sprites,historical depth and humanity tradition. The practical conversion of philosophic concepts shows that his philosophy offers a cultural relations between human and world with initiatives,divers unifications,open communication and coexistence dialogue that forms a philosophy system in be critic,logical,active,dialectic,constructive,open and spiritual. Thus Cassirer philosophy of human culture has all-round theoretic influence in the philosophic conversion from rational criticism and cultural criticism. On one hand functional thinking mode shows a self-thinking on philosophic surface which makes Cassirer philosophy of culture special in classical sprits; functional thinking mode also shows a media thinking which makes Cassirer philosophy of culture own plenty of modern awareness in reconstruction of modern philosophy; functional thinking mode shows a dialectic thinking which makes Cassirer philosophy of culture own dependent theoretic value in post-modernism. On the other hand the outward expanding in the field of culture deepens philosophic tendency of cultural conversion, cultural forerunning work promotes the prosperity of various theories of culture, cognitive dialectic attitude predicts the future prospects of merging of two contemporary philosophic thoughts. But the conversion on human anthropology and construction on human culture world actually has been realized by the indirect way of practical theory and realistic culture, thus it is necessary to critically view the cultural conversion of Cassirer philosophy of culture and the twentieth culture from practical conversion realized by Marxist philosophy and the dialectic relations between theory and practice because unscrambling culture of human world and describing sprite does not really reveal the real world of human. Theoretic research on his philosophy of culture will help to get further understanding and adherence of the practical points of Marxist philosophy.