How Natives Think

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HOW NATIVES THINK
Lucien Lévy-Bruhl
With a new Introduction, "Lucien Lévy-Bruhl and the Concept of Cognitive Relativity," by C. Scott Littleton
"C. Scott Littleton's essay is a perceptive contextualization of Lévy-Bruhl's thought in European and American intellectual history and a very helpful introduction to Hou) Natives Think"—James W. Fernandez, Princeton University
"Contrary to the judgment of most English anthropologists, I find Lévy-Bruhl's writings a great stimulus to formulation of new problems, and I consider his influence most fruitful, not only on anthropological theory, but also in directing the attention of fieldworkers to a new set of problems." —Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard, A History of Anthropological Thought
In this classic work of anthropology, Lucien Lévy-Bruhl (1857-1939) first described his controversial theory of the prelogical mentality of primitive peoples—a mentality not constrained by the rule of non-contradiction, but characterized by a "participation mystique," which causes primitive humans to feel part of a mysterious continuum with each other and with the world around them. This edition makes the book available again in English and adds an extensive new introduction, "Lucien Lévy-Bruhl and the Concept of Cognitive Relativity." C. Scott Littleton traces the origin and evolution of Lévy-Bruhl's thought, discusses the storm of criticism it aroused, and reviews the current state of controversy, especially in light of recent developments in cognitive and related schools of anthropological thought. Professor Littleton concludes that the French anthropologist thoroughly deserves to be included among the true pioneers of the anthropological enterprise. Vissza