The first forms of anthropological thinking, based totally on man, existed during the Renaissance. The separation between subject and world was further confirmed by Descartes. Only the anthropological school of thought, besides the rational Cartesian tradition of the Western philosophy, remained alive: Pascal, Herder and Goethe. In the 20th century the path to anthropological thinking was prepared for, by Kierkegaard's existential philosophy and by Husserl's phenomenological methods. It bloomed excessively, as a result of the work done by Scheler, Heidegger and Binswanger. Medical science, even psychiatry, remained based on Cartesianism, but anthropological psychiatry broke away at this point. Anthropological psychiatry is recognized by it's anti-Cartesianism, interest in specific human problems, thought stemming from the age old bond between man and world, man and fellow-man and reaction to a reduced human image. A fundamental agreement lies between 'anti-psychiatry' and anthropological psychiatry. Anti-psychiatry acting especially against the dehumanizing effects of reduced thinking within psychiatrie institutions. The reducing medical ideas lead to 'totalitarianism'. Goffman and Foucault described various forms of totalitarianism. Totalitarianism within a psychiatric institution can only be stamped out, if instead of the 'hospital-model', a 'living community on a humanistic measure' is chosen. Anthropological thinking can be a valuable contribution to the development of these living communities.