Book contents
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Introduction
- 1 The Nature of Philosophyin Mesoamerica
- 2 The Nature of Language
- 3 Time
- 4 Identity, Self, and Personhood
- 5 Creation and the Gods
- 6 Being and Worlds
- 7 Knowledge, Seeing
- 8 Ethics
- Conclusion: Mesoamerican Philosophy and the Contemporary World
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Creation and the Gods
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2023
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Introduction
- 1 The Nature of Philosophyin Mesoamerica
- 2 The Nature of Language
- 3 Time
- 4 Identity, Self, and Personhood
- 5 Creation and the Gods
- 6 Being and Worlds
- 7 Knowledge, Seeing
- 8 Ethics
- Conclusion: Mesoamerican Philosophy and the Contemporary World
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The nature of the cosmos and its maintenance are central issues in Mesoamerican philosophy. The correlative metaphysical systems of Mesoamerica, with their focus on interdependence, transformation, and continual creation, rely on particular views about the nature of the world and its operation that are covered in this chapter. The chapter covers the development of key concepts connected to creation and change, as well as the particular ways these are developed in creation stories across Mesoamerica. Creation stories serve an important purpose in Mesoamerican thought. They should not be thought of as only myth grounding the overall tradition and system, but also as discussions of the nature of being, change, and continual creation.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy , pp. 139 - 165Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023