"Man is a symbolic animal" is the most basic principle of Cassirer's symbolic form philosophy or cultural philosophy, and it is also the most basic basis of Cassirer's literary semiotics or symbolic poetics. This principle reveals human nature and its essential strength. On this basis, constructing the theory of literary essence and establishing literary semiotics or symbolic poetics is to inextricably link the issue of literary essence with that of human nature. It is necessary to explore the essence of literature and art within the scope of humanities or cultural sciences. In this way, the problems of literature and art are divided from the category of natural science and brought into the category of humanities, thus bringing them into a suitable research scope and exploration track. This should be a great contribution of Cassirer to philosophy and aesthetics, and also the inevitable result of the development of western philosophy and aesthetics.
1. "Man is a symbolic animal": the return and transcendence to Kant
The conclusion that man is a symbolic animal is the result of "returning to Kant" and "surpassing Kant". As we all know, Kant's "three criticisms" of critical philosophy (pure rational criticism, practical rational criticism and judgment criticism) have to solve the following main problems: First, what can we (people) know? Kant's answer is that man's pure reason can only know the "phenomenon world" but not the "thing itself"; If people's understanding crosses the line, they will inevitably fall into the contradictory situation of "antinomy". Second, how should we (people) act? Kant's answer is that people should act according to the supreme "absolute command"; Only in this way can people believe in the existence of things themselves, so as to achieve the transcendental principles of practical reason-freedom of will, immortality of soul and existence of God. Third, what can we (people) hope? Kant's answer is that people can hope for beauty through "subjective purpose of form" and perfection through "objective purpose of matter and object"; Only through aesthetic judgment and aesthetic purpose judgment can human beings hope to gain freedom from nature and become a whole. Therefore, the question that Kant's philosophy ultimately answers boils down to one point: "What is man?" Kant's answer is: man is an end, not a means. Then, Kant changed western philosophy from "cosmology" which studies natural objects to "humanism" which studies human subjects. This is what Kant himself called "Copernican transformation". Duris, a German philosopher, took these questions as his leading thought when he wrote his own history of world philosophy. He pointed out: "These issues are of concern to every thoughtful person at all times and in all countries. Kant's question can be said to be a basic principle question that human beings must answer. In this sense, it is reasonable for neo-Kantians to "return to Kant". However, although Kant raised questions and gave his own answers, due to the limitations of the times and individuals, Kant's research and answers to these questions are still incomplete. Therefore, neo-Kantian returned to Kant. In order to "surpass Kant", Cassirer once pointed out in "The Logic of Humanities": "Kant once did structural analysis for natural science, but he could not give" humanities "a structural analysis similar to that he did for natural science." "However, this does not mean that the task of critical philosophy will be potentially and inevitably limited. On the contrary, it is only a historical or accidental limitation shown by critical philosophy. These limitations are due to the scientific level of18th century. Since romanticism, the theory of universality of knowledge has found itself facing many new challenges because of getting rid of these limitations and the emergence of independent language science, art science and religious science. "Obviously, Cahill tried to continue Kant's thorough career. Under the new pattern of scientific independence of language science, art science and religious science (including anthropology, culturology and semiotics) in the19th century, the structural analysis of "humanities" is similar to Kant's natural science. In this way, Cahill found the conclusion that "man is a symbolic animal" in the process of thinking about "human problem" along Kant's critical philosophy. Therefore, this conclusion is the inheritance and development of Kant's critical philosophy and a "Copernican change" in world outlook and methodology. In the revision of Kant's series of theories about things themselves, the object world (nature) and transcendental methods, he generally imitated Cohen, so he was considered as one of the main representatives of Marburg School. However, as early as the first volume of Cognition (1906). Cassirer didn't just regard the problem of cognition as a problem of natural science, but tried to combine the development of cognition with various forms of human culture such as myth and religion, ethics and aesthetics, psychology and metaphysics. In his view, human experience and knowledge are not limited to reason and science. It also includes various forms of human culture. Therefore, Kant's subjectivity should be extended to all fields of human culture. That is, Cahill developed Kant's rational criticism into cultural criticism, so there was a transformation and discovery from' man is a rational animal' to' man is a symbolic animal' and' man is a cultural animal'.
This change and discovery in world outlook and methodology is also a Copernican change in literature and art thought, which makes literature and art change from imitating nature or reappearing reality to creating human symbols, and also adds symbols and symbols as the essential strength of human beings to the emotional expression theory of romantic literary thought in the19th century.
Generally speaking, the theory of artistic essence of western aesthetics, from ancient Greece to postmodernism, has written a trilogy as a whole. The first is the "imitation theory" of natural ontology aesthetics from ancient Greece to Renaissance. The second is the "mirror theory" and "reappearance theory" of epistemological aesthetics from Renaissance to German classical aesthetics, which emphasizes the artist's "reflection" and "understanding" of nature and reality. Generally speaking, it is called the classic form of the essence theory of western aesthetics, because they all think that art has a certain essence, and the essence of art is considered under the thinking mode of subject and object dichotomy. The third part is the "expressionism" of human ontology aesthetics (social ontology aesthetics) of western modernism (1from the middle of the 9th century to the 1950s) and postmodernism (after the 1950s). Before the middle of19th century, they gradually denied the traditional classical theory of artistic essence, vigorously advocated the uncertainty of artistic essence, or denied the issue of artistic essence at all. However, at the second turning point of this trilogy, two strong voices appeared. Schiller's theory of artistic essence in the 1990s with a strong accent of 18, which sounded at the beginning of the turn of epistemological aesthetics, is the end of this book. Another strong voice is1the artistic essence theory of Marxist practical aesthetics played in the middle of the 9th century, which develops synchronously with modernism and post-modernism, goes deep into the theme of artistic essence and reveals the true meaning of artistic essence. However, Cassirer and his student Susan Langer's Literary Semiotics or Symbolic Poetics and Symbolic Aesthetics are the "expressive theory" of language ontology aesthetics at the turn of modernism and postmodernism. It unifies emotional expression and symbolic form, forming the connection peak between western aesthetics and literary essence, which should be a reference for the literary essence in Marx's practical aesthetics. However, for a long time, both the orthodox Marxist aesthetics of Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the distinctive Marxist aesthetics of China have neglected the reference value of Cassirer's literary semiotics or symbolic poetics because of neo-Kantian idealism. We should pay due attention to the literary semiotics or symbolic poetics of Neo-Kantianism when we study German literary thoughts at the turn of 65438-09 century. Cassirer's symbolic form philosophy and symbolic poetics are not only similar to Marxist practical materialism and practical aesthetics on the basis of turning to the research trend of human beings and human society, but also have some similarities in some specific concepts. Marx thinks that social practice is the foundation of practical materialism philosophy, and labor is a major dimension of human nature, while Cahill thinks that symbolic activity is the foundation of philosophy. Taking labor as human nature is interlinked, and taking symbolic activity as one of human practical activities, it should be said that it is enlightening for us to understand the concept of "practice" dialectically. We can incorporate symbolic activities into the Marxist concept of "practice" and form three aspects of the concept of "practice": material production, discourse production and spiritual production.
2. "Man is a symbolic animal": Adhere to and develop the philosophical tradition of western humanism.
"Man is a symbolic animal" is not only the reflection and criticism of western aesthetic modernity on the myth of scientism that enlightened modernity, but also the fruitful achievement and essence of Cassirer's persistence and development of western humanistic philosophy tradition. We know that although ancient Greek philosophy was dominated by natural ontology and cosmology (cosmology), the research and analysis of human ontology and anthroposophy (anthroposophy or anthroposophy) was also a huge potential force. Starting from the school of wise men and Socrates around the 5th century BC, human ontology and the theory of human nature have basically established their own position. By the 4th century BC, both Plato and Aristotle's philosophical systems contained human ontology and human nature (anthropology). Cassirer pointed out in On Man: "Greek philosophy seems to care only about the material universe in its initial stage. Cosmology obviously supports all other branches of philosophical research. However, the unique depth and breadth of the Greek spirit lies in, Almost every thinker represents a new universal type of thought at the same time. ........................................................................................................................................................ does not intend to introduce a new philosophical theory. However, in his view, all past problems are viewed from a new perspective, because they all point to a new intellectual center. All kinds of problems in Greek natural philosophy and Greek metaphysics were suddenly covered up by a new problem, and since then this new problem seems to have attracted all theoretical interests. In Socrates' view, there is no longer an independent natural theory or an independent logical theory, or even a consistent and systematic system like the later ethical system. Socrates always upholds and defends the ideal of objective, absolute and universal truth. However, the only world he knows and all his explorations point to is the human world. His philosophy (if he has a philosophy) is a strict anthropological philosophy. "Although cosmology and anthroposophy have become vassals and handmaids of theology after the theological era in the Middle Ages in Europe, in the European Renaissance of14-16th century, the cosmology and humanism of ancient Greek philosophy revived and rediscovered nature and man. Not only the natural sciences have made great progress, but also the humanities have flourished, forming the so-called "humanism". Humanism not only refers to the science about people as opposed to theology, but more importantly, it advocates a "humanistic spirit" that affirms people and their values, respects people and releases them. It is in this spirit that not only the natural sciences develop, but also the humanities are demanding independent status. The New Science written by Italian thinker Vico (1688- 1744) represents the independent voice of humanities for natural science. Vendel Ban, a representative of the Southwest School of Neo-Kantism, wrote in A Course of Philosophy History: "Vico abandoned Descartes' Mathematicism from the beginning, and compared with it, he preferred campanella's and Bacon's empiricism. However, he doesn't believe in natural science at all. According to this principle-man can only know what he has created, and only God can know nature, and man can only glimpse the wisdom of God. The mathematical form created by man himself is abstract and fictional, and he can't grasp the real existence. You can't grasp the living reality. What people actually create is human history, which only historical people can understand. The ultimate basis of this understanding is people's understanding of their own spiritual essence, and its regularity is uniformly reflected in the historical process. " Vico advocated the "new science" relative to natural science, that is, historical science and historicism, which had a great influence in the process of the European Enlightenment. In particular, Herder, the standard-bearer of the German Enlightenment, further developed Vico's viewpoints, positions and methods of humanities (historical science). German linguist wilhelm humboldt concretized and systematized Vico's and Holder's standpoint, viewpoint and method of humanities (historical science). Cahill said in "Human Logic": "Holder and Humboldt regard this desire and ability to give experience as the essence of language, Schiller regards it as the essence of games and art, and Kant regards it as the essence of theory and knowledge structure. They believe that all these pure products will not be produced if these creations lack a unique formal structure as the basis. Human beings have this kind of productivity, which just shows the uniqueness of human nature. In the broadest sense, human beings are the absolutely universal (and therefore the only) medium for the emergence, development and prosperity of' form'. " It is precisely because of the representative figures of the German Enlightenment that human nature and "humanity" are inextricably linked with the creation of human symbol forms, and thus define human nature and basic characteristics. 19th century, with the development of linguistics, history, archaeology, anthropology, etc. The tradition of humanities has also been carried forward, so Cassirer can naturally introduce a kind of "symbolic form philosophy": "symbolic form philosophy can not only unify many ways and directions of our understanding of the world, but also evaluate every attempt and analysis that human mind can make to understand the world and understand its various real characteristics. It is in this way that the problem of objectivity will be fully displayed; In this sense, the issue of objectivity includes not only the natural world, but also the human world. " Therefore, we can say that Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic form and his "man is a symbolic animal" are exactly the inheritance and development of western humanistic tradition and humanistic spirit. This western humanistic tradition promotes the emergence and development of symbolic formal philosophy, which in turn promotes the development of western humanistic tradition.