An Analysis On Cassirer's Symbol Humanities

The thesis expounds Cassirer's symbol humanities through symbols that are the mark of differences between humankind and animals. And it states that scientific symbol is not exclusive one and symbols include ones of indirect, emotion and moral besides it, so the symbolic forms carry contents of mythic, religious, linguistic, artistic and historical. Humankind create being via own symbols and symbolic forms so that they form specific humankind's cultural world. Humankind's cultural world, in return, is symbolic world that are unity between world of cultural science and natural science.The paper contains three chapters. The first is a Cassirer's discussion on logic of cultural science, including three sections. The first section accounts for symbol that is the object on study of cultural science. The second states symbolic three levels. A concept of cultural science contains three levels of physic being, object representation and post expression which is a prominent reflection on the logic of cultural science. The third states laws of form and causation are the same validity for cultural science and natural science.Since Cassirer think symbols are the object on study of cultural science, what kind of characters do they have? The second chapter probes three characters of wholeness, functionality, richness and research methods about symbols. Wholeness, in Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms, shows that symbols and symbolic forms do not add simply, instead, is greater than or superior to sum of them. Although the philosophy of symbolic forms analyzes partly them, they are unity, functional unity. Also, they correlate and place in the system of symbols and symbolic forms in common. Richness closely relating wholeness manifests symbolic flexibility for thinking being, so cultural science adopts not only phenomenological analysis but also explanation and re-explanation for symbols. Therefore, three characters mingle another one and make up the properties of symbols together.The third chapter entirely reveals man's nature, for symbolic world formed symbols make a notable distinction between humankind and animals. Traditional theories of anthropology first are combed by Cassirer, on the base of that, man which is symbolic animal is presented. Symbols show man's nature, whereas humankind create own culture by them, hence world are one of man's symbol and symbolic man. Thus symbol is a pivot on Cassirer's thought, and key word penetrating succession on viewpoint of the thesis. Moreover, richness of symbols and symbolic forms consist of symbolic world including natural science and culture science.