Ernst Cassirer Quotes
Ernst Cassirer was a German Jewish philosopher and the leading representative of the Marburg neo-Kantian tradition in the twentieth century. His three-volume Philosophy of Symbolic Forms generalized Kant's critical project to argue that human consciousness gives shape to the world through a plurality of symbolic forms, including language, myth, religion, art, and science. The quotes below are attributed to Ernst Cassirer, organized by topic.
Ernst Cassirer on Freedom
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Attributed to Ernst Cassirer:
“Human culture taken as a whole may be described as the process of man's progressive self-liberation.”
Ernst Cassirer on Knowledge
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Attributed to Ernst Cassirer:
“We can only know ourselves through the works we create.”
Ernst Cassirer on Mind
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Attributed to Ernst Cassirer:
“Language is the great symbol-making activity of the human mind.”
Ernst Cassirer on Nature
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Attributed to Ernst Cassirer:
“Man is a symbolic animal.”
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Attributed to Ernst Cassirer:
“Myth is not a passive reflection of nature, but an active form of symbolic thinking.”