The Pasiegos. The Wild Analogy and the Savage of the Analogy

• Published in: Empiria (Madrid) no. 14; pp. 109 - 136
• Main Author: Calle Valverde, Jaime de la
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: 01-07-2007
• Subjects: Analogy; Myths; Rationalism; Rationality; Thinking; Traditional Societies
• ISSN: 1139-5737

During long time anthropology has defined primitive societies as societies of mythopoietical thought. Just the opposite of those societies in which it governs the rational thought to the service of profitability & productivity. Myth constructs its discursive form with metaphors, analogies & other tools of the intellect. It represents & identifies the primitive society as a whole. Myth was the wild thought. This idea could also be applied to traditional societies. In these societies we found mythopoietical praxis & speeches, like in the example that is analyzed in this paper: the wild analogy of pasiegos in relationship with their cattle. We have to consider two questions on the analogical thought of pasiegos. First, the role of analogy in the origin of the culture & the dynamic of cultural change. Second, gender analogy: is the analogical universe of pasiegos masculine, feminine, or without gender? Additionally, under the consideration that "wild" is a pristine human thought, we ask ourselves how much of wild has the wild thought,. First at all in its relation with rationalism: emerges analogy from rationalism? What relation analogy maintains with rationalism? Its origin is the result of a "natural" function? By the same token, we ask on the social nature of the savage. That is to say, how much of wild has the analogy. Whether or not the analogy is an ahistorical & asocial function of human intellect. One final observation: All the analogical complex of pasiegos is not examined. We only analyzes that one that establishes homologous relations between the cows & the habitat. References. Adapted from the source document.