
1874 – 1945
Ernst Cassirer (1874-1945) was a German philosopher best known for his philosophy of symbolic forms, which analyzed how myth, language, art, science, and religion function as distinct modes of symbolic meaning-making. A leading figure of the Marburg School of neo-Kantianism, he extended Kant's critique of reason into a broader critique of culture and famously debated Martin Heidegger at Davos in 1929.
Developed the Philosophy of Symbolic Forms (3 volumes, 1923-1929)
Debated Martin Heidegger at Davos in 1929 on the legacy of Kant
Authored 'An Essay on Man' (1944) synthesizing his philosophical anthropology
Advanced neo-Kantian interpretation of scientific and cultural knowledge
Wrote 'The Myth of the State' (1946) analyzing political myth and totalitarianism