Abstract

The Concept of Art in Ernst Cassirer’s Philosophy of CultureThe presentation is dedicated to the discussion of the concept of art and aesthetics within Ernst Cassirer’s philosophy of culture. The considerations are connected with an attempt to answer the question about the meaning of art in the system of symbolic forms and the position of aesthetics in Cassirer’s thought. It includes a reconstruction of his position on the tradition of aesthetic thought, including the theory of mimesis and theory of expression, the notion of beauty and imagination. It shows the dialogical, dynamic and communicative nature of culture as viewed by Cassirer. In the context of his intuition of culture art as a “bridge,” the following is discussed: mediation between the “I” and “You,” subjectivity and objectivity, mimesis and creativity, rationality and emotionality. References are made to the positions adopted by Michaela Hinsch, Marion Lauschke, Birgit Recki.