MYTH AS A FORM OF PROJECTIVITY: E. CASSIRER’S NEO-KANTIAN CONCEPT

The article explores the philosophical interpretation of myth-making within the framework of E. Cassirer’s neo-Kantian concept. Myth is considered as a form of projectivity – a symbolic structure through which the subject actively projects meaning onto reality, rather than passively reflecting it. According to the German philosopher, myth is a special stage in the evolution of human consciousness, preceding rational and scientific ways of thinking. The development of Cassirer’s ideas from Kant’s transcendental logic to broad cultural and philosophical idealism is considered, where myth appears as a primary symbolic form with its own unique logic of time and space. It is emphasized that for Cassirer, myth is not just an illusion or a product of irrationality, but a legitimate and necessary form of understanding the world, which performs not only a cognitive, but also an existential function, helping people navigate the world through the creation of a symbolic order. Key characteristics of myth, such as its emotional intensity, narrative structure, and metaphorical nature, are also analyzed, and Cassirer’s distinction between projection and representation becomes central to the interpretation of myth as a dynamic act of meaning-making. It is investigated how Cassirer’s ideas allow us to explain the mechanisms of myth functioning in the media space, social networks, and virtual worlds, emphasizing the unchanging role of mythological thinking in the formation of modern reality. Particular attention is paid to the relevance of Cassirer’s concept for the analysis of contemporary phenomena, in particular political mythology and mythmaking in the digital age, demonstrating its instrumental value for understanding modern symbolic structures.