カッシーラの神話論における二つの動機

―神話を通じた理性批判と理性を通じた神話批判―

抄録

We can see two antithetic motives in Cassirer's theory of myth. For one thing, Cassirer emphasizes the relativity of reason in the widened context of culture by introducing myth in his philosophy. In this sense he criticizes reason through myth. On the other hand, he must defend the reasonability as a factor in culture from overflow of myth into the all fields of culture. In this sense he criticizes myth through the reason, which is recognized in his philosophy. We can confirm these two aspects by referring to the second volume of the Philosophy of symbolic Forms (1925). It is important to see that Cassirer tries to cease alternatives selection between the reasonable and the mythical thinking and to subsume both appropriately in the pluralistic structure of human culture. We can understand Cassirer's attitude to Schelling's Philosophy of myth sufficiently when we notice such strategy. Surely Cassirer supports Schelling in that he insists on the tautegoric interpretation against the allegoric one. He actually uses Schelling as effectively as possible for rebuff of the latter. But Cassirer must oppose Schelling's theory in so far as Schelling stresses the absolute in his philosophy.