Lucien Lévy-Bruchl visto por Norbert Elias

Abstract

THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS ENABLING TO RECONSTRUCT NORBERT ELÍAS VIEW OF LÉVY-BRUHL. IT SHOWS THAT ELIAS SOUGHT TO HAVE LÉVY-BRUHL RECONSIDERED BY THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, IN LIGHT OF THE GROWING VOLUME OF EVIDENCE THAT CONFIRMED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE PSYCHIC ORGANIZATION OF VARIOUS HISTORICAL SOCIETIES. IT SHOWS THAT ELIAS CONCEIVED OF HIS OWN RESEARCH IN THE PSYCHOGENETIC PROCESS AGAINST A BACKGROUND SHARED BY LÉVY-BRUHL. ELIAS REGARDED THE DIFFICULTIES FACED IN THE ASSIMILATION OF THE LATTER BY HUMAN SCIENCES AS BEING OF THE SAME KIND AS THOSE THAT HAMPERED THE UNDERSTANDING OF HIS OWN THEORY.