Crítica del proceso de construcción del autoconocimientoFunción, símbolo y cultura en Ernst Cassirer

Abstract

Self-knowledge is a complex process which cannot be described as self-awareness. It may look like our daily experience could only be embodied through mere sensations, rather than a complete knowledge of our human nature. If we look for building a concept of self-reference, we have to inquire on the very experience of living and to compare them on a cultural analysis which allows us to understand the process of self-representation. Based on Ernst Cassirer’s approach, all phases of this peculiar self-construction concept can be explored. A review upon Cassirer´s anthropological proposal establishes that in order to achieve a concept of the self, a cultural analysis about him is necessary. Three main tasks are proposed to achieve this goal: First, the development of a functional coordination in which the individual creates a relation between his own self-awareness and a general law; second, research based on the nature of the symbol; and third, a cultural inquiry that calls for an interaction between what Cassirer calls “Spirit and Life”. Only through the tension between these elements, an appropriate concept of the self is provided; solely in a functional coordination, represented through symbols, and framed within the cultural context, spirit and life interact to develop a self-concept.