Ernst Cassirer und die Kunst bescheidenen Philosophierens

In the following article, I argue that the moral and practical content of Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms consists in a certain philosophical attitude, which can be identified as critical, that is, as a humble attitude,and which establishes not only a general way of thinking but also a concretelife form. To this end, I will discuss three criticisms that have been directed at Cassirer's approach from various perspectives: first, that the philosophy of symbolic forms, in its formal orientation, always misses the qualitativecontent of our experience; second, that in its adherence to a general ideal ofhumanity, it lacks any view of the concrete individual in his or her life practice;and third, that in its systematic restriction to the mere description ofcultural phenomena, it cannot develop any normative power.

The thesis to be developed in this article is that all three criticisms mark systematic blanksin Cassirer's approach, which are not gaps, but rather necessary degrees of freedom in philosophical reflection, which recognizes the inexplicability ofqualitative experience, individual action and cultural practice. The philosophyof symbolic forms unfolds its normative potential, so the concludingthesis, where the very attitude that can be cultivated in the process of philosophizingbecomes effective in cultural practice itself, thereby qualifying notonly thinking but also the process of living as critical or humble. [Publisher's text]

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