Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T12:26:20.916Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Alexandre Koyré versus Lucien Lévy-Bruhl: From Collective Representations to Paradigms of Scientific Thought

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Paola Zambelli
Affiliation:
Department of PhilosophyUniversity of Florence

Abstract

Alexandre Koyré is one of the most important historians of philosophic and scientific though since the thirties. Research on the Scientific Revolution, on Galileo, Descartes, Newton, as well as on Paracelsus and Boehme has deeply changed under his influential method: it has been a model for Kuhn's methodology of paradigms and revolutions in the histroy of science. Whereas Koyré used to be considered opposed in his ideology and method to sociological approaches, he has recently been characterized by Yehuda Elkana as a sociologist of knowledge. In fact, until now one of the main sources of his method had not been identified: it is only by acknowledging the influence of Lucien Lévy-Bruhl on Koyré that it is possible to explain how the latter wrote his thesis on Boehme's mystical thought just before his Etudes galiléennes. Lucien Lévy-Bruhl was teaching history of philosophy at the Sorbonne, and Koyré was strongly influenced by his idea of “prelogical thinking” as a universel phenomenon and in a general way by the sociological school of Durkheim. Conceptual analysis deriving from Husserl, collective representations and attitude mentale(the latter invented not by Lucien Febvre but by Lévy-Bruhl), came together in Alexandre Koyrè's method

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Merton, After1989 Science in Context (special issue) 3 (1).Google Scholar
primitive, L'âme 1929. Bulletin de la Société française de philosophie XXIX/4.Google Scholar
Amsterdamski, S. 1987–88. I. “philosophy of Science and Sociology of Knowledge: Congnition and Knowledge Universalization.” Jahrbuch des Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin: 144–64Google Scholar
Brunschvicg, L. 1912 Les Etapes de la philosophie mathématique Paris.Google Scholar
Burke, P. 1978Reflections on the Historical Revolution in France: The Annales School and British Social History.” Review 1:147–64Google Scholar
Burke, P. 1992 Una rivoluzione storiografica. BariGoogle Scholar
Cassirer, E. 19231929 Philosophie der symbolischen Formen. 1–3. BerlinGoogle Scholar
Cassirer, E. 1925 Sprache und Mythos: Ein Beitrag zur Problem der Göternamen Leipzig-BerlinGoogle Scholar
Cavillé, J. -P. 1989Notes et documents sur le Descartes de L. Lévy-Bruhl.” Revue philosophique de la France et de lé'tranger 177 443–69.Google Scholar
Cazeneuve, J. 1963 L. Lévy-Bruhl: Sa vie, son oeuvre avec un exposé de sa philosophie Paris: Presses UniversitairesGoogle Scholar
Cazeneuve, J. 1972Lévy-Bruhl.” International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, s.v.Google Scholar
Commémoration du cinquantenaire de la publication des Etapes de la philosophie mathéque de L. Brunschvicg”, 1963 Bulletin de la société française de Philosophie 57 4347Google Scholar
Davy, G. 1989Pour le centiéme anniversaire de la naissance de L. Lévy-Bruhl.” Revue Philosophique 179: 468–87Google Scholar
Durkheim, E. 1898Représentations individuelles et représentations collectives.” Revue de métaphysique et de morale 6: 292302.Google Scholar
Durkheim, E. 1970Lettre inédite d'Emile Durkheim á Lucien Lévy-Bruhl.” Revue philosophique 160: 163–64Google Scholar
Edie, C. 1959 “The Writings of E. Gilson.” In Mélanges offerts á E. Gilson, 958. Toronto-Paris.Google Scholar
Metzger, Etudes sur H..” 1988. Corpus: Revue de philosophie 8/9.Google Scholar
Febvre, L. 1955 “Avant-propos” to Koyré. Mystiques, spirituels, alchimistes. Paris.Google Scholar
Gilson, E. 19121913 Index scholastico-cartesien. ParisGoogle Scholar
Gilson, E. 1923Lettre de M. Gilson.” Bulletin de la Société française de philosophie, 23(2) (April): 4648. (Séance du 15 février 1923)Google Scholar
Gilson, E. 1957Le Descartes de Lévy-Bruhl.” Revue philosophique 147: 492502Google Scholar
Gismondi, M. A. 1985 “‘The Gift of Theory’: A Critique of the Histoire des mentalités.” Social History 10: 211–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goody, J. 1977. The Domestication of the Savage Mind Cambridge Cambridge University PressGoogle Scholar
Gurvitch, G. 1957. “Le Probléme de la sociologie de la connaissance.” Revue philosophique 147: 494–99Google Scholar
Heidegger, M. 1928. Review of Philosophie der symbolischen Formen (II), by E. Cassirer. Deutsche Literaturzetung 21: 10001012.Google Scholar
Horton, R. 1973 “Lévy-Bruhl, Durkheim and the Scientific Revolution.” In Modes of Thought: Essays on Thinking in Western and Non-Western Society, ed. Horton, R and Finnegen, R., 249305. London.Google Scholar
Husserl, E. 1988Sur la mythologie primitive: Lettre be E. Husserl á L. Lévy-Bruhl, 11 mars 1935.” Gradiva 4 6372.Google Scholar
Jorland, G. 1981 La Science dans la philosophie: Les recherches épistemologiques d' Alexandre Koyré ParisGoogle Scholar
Koyré, A. 1922 Essai sur l'idée de Dieu et les preuves de son existence chez Descartes ParisGoogle Scholar
Koyré, A. 1923a L'idée de Dieu dans la philosophie de Saint Anselme Paris.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1923b Review of Das Heilige, by R. Otto Revue philosophique 105: 450–51Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1929 La philosophie de Jacob Boehme. ParisGoogle Scholar
Koyré, A. 1930 Review of Die Seele der Primitiven, by Lévy-Bruhl [German translation of Mentalité primitive]. Deutsche Literaturzeitung 48 (29 November): 22942300Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1932a Review of Les causes du suicide, by M. Halbwachs. Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung, 1: 173–74Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1932b Review of W. Dilthey's Gesammelte Werke (VIII: Weltanschauung-slehre), Revue philosophique 57: 487–91.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1936 “La sociologie française contemporaine.” Review of Bilan de la sociologie française contemporaine by C. Bouglé, Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung 5: 260–64Google Scholar
Koyré, A. Etudes galiléennes. Paris.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1944Aristotélisme et platonisme au Moyen Age.” Les gants du ciel 6: 75107. Reprinted in Koyré 1966.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1945 “Le mouvement philosophique sous la Troisiéme République.” In L'oeuvre de la Troisiéme République, edited by Mirkine-Guetzévitch, B.. Montréal: Edition de l'Arbre, coll. “France Forever”, pp. 273318.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1947. “La philosophie dialectique de J. Boehme.” Critique 12:417–26.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1950. “La gravitation universelle de Kepler á Newton.” In Actes du lléme Congrés international d'Histoire des Sciences. Amsterdam: I = Archives internationales d'histoire de sciences 4(16):638–53.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1951. “Descartes after Three Hundred Years.” Fenton Foundation Lecture. University of Buffalo Studies 19(1).Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1955a. “Attitude esthétique et pensée scientifique.” Critique, 100–101:835–48.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1955b. Mystiques, spirituels, alchimistes. Paris.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1966. Etudes d'histoire de la pensée scientifique. Paris.Google Scholar
Koyré, A. 1967. Dal mondo del pressapoco all'universo della precisione. Translated with an introduction by Zambelli, P.. Turin: Einaudi.Google Scholar
Kunn, T. S. 1962 The Structure of Scientific Revolution. Chicago: Chicago University PressGoogle Scholar
Kunn, T. S. 1970Alexandre Koyré and the History of Science.” Encounter 34: 6769Google Scholar
Lévi-Strauss, C. 1958 Anthropogie culturelle. ParisGoogle Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1894 La philosophie de Jacobi Paris.Google Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1899 History of Modern Philosophy in France New YorkGoogle Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1912 Fonctions mentales dans les sociétés primitives ParisGoogle Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1916 Quelques pages sur Jean Jaurès ParisGoogle Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1927 L'âme primitive Paris.Google Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. ed. 1930 Les carnets de Schwarzkoppen: La Vérité sur Dreyfus. Edited by Schwertfeger, translated by A. Koyré, preface by L. Lévy-Bruhl. Paris.Google Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1931 Le surnaturel et la nature. ParisGoogle Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1936 “The Cartesian Spirit and History.” In History and Philosophy: Essays Presented to Ernst Cassirer, Klibansky, R. and Paton, H. J., 191–96. Oxford.Google Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1938 L'expérience mystique et les symboles. ParisGoogle Scholar
Lévy-Bruhl, L. 1949 Carnets [Posthumous publication with a preface by M. Leenhardt.] Paris.Google Scholar
Lloyd, G. E. R. 1990 Demystifying Mentalities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lukes, S. 1985. Emile Durkheim: His Life and Work, 2nd. ed. Stanford, Calif. 368–72Google Scholar
Magnin, E. 1937 s.v. “Religion.” In Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, XIII, Paris, 21962206Google Scholar
Mannheim, K. 1922 Die Strukturanalyse der Erkenntnistheorie BerlinGoogle Scholar
Mannheim, K. 1964. Essays on the Sociology of Knowledge Edited by Kecskmeti, P. London.Google Scholar
Mannheim, K. 1980. Strukturen des Denkens, edited by Kettler, D., Meja, V. and Sther, N.. Frankfurt am Main.Google Scholar
Mauss, M. 1939 “Nécrologie: Lévy-Bruhl (1857–1939).” Annales de l'Université de Paris 14.Google Scholar
La mentalité primitive.” 1923. Bulletin de la société française de philosophie 24(2) (April).Google Scholar
Merllié, D. 1989. “Présentation. Le cas Lévy-Bruhl.” Revue philosophique de la France et de l'étranger, 419–48Google Scholar
Merton, R. K. 1970a. Science, Technology and Society in Seventeenth-Century England. New York: Harper and Row.Google Scholar
Merton, R. K. 1970b. Teoria e struttura sociale. Edited by Barbano, F.. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Metzger, H. 1930. “La philosophie de L. Lévy-Bruhl et l'histoire des sciences.” Archeion 12:20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metzger, H. 1935. “Reflections.” Archeion 17: 421–23.Google Scholar
Metzger, H. 1938. Attraction universelle et religion naturelle chez quelques commentateus anglais de Newton. ParisGoogle Scholar
Metzger, H. 1987.La méthode philosophique en histoire des sciences: Textes 1914–1939. Compiled by Gad Freudenthal. Paris.Google Scholar
Miller, R. C. 1967Gilson.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy, s.vGoogle Scholar
Monod, G., 1957. “Allocution.” Revue philosophique 147: 427–31.Google Scholar
Murdoch, J. E. 1987A. Koyré and the history of science in America: some doctrinal and personal reflections”. In Redondi ed. 1987, 7180Google Scholar
Picavet, F. 1905. Esquisse d'une histoire générale et comparée des théologies et des philosophies médiévales. ParisGoogle Scholar
Raulff, U. 1987. “Die Geburt eines Begriffs: Reden von ‘Mentalität’ zur Zeit der Affaire Dreyfus.” In Mentalitäten-Geschichte, edited by Raulff, U., 5068. Berlin.Google Scholar
Redondi, P. 1983.“Science moderne et histoire des mentalités: Le rencontre de Lucien Febvre, Robert Lenoble et Alexandre Koyré.” Revue de synthése 104:309–32Google Scholar
Redondi, P., ed. 1986. A. Koyré da la mystique à la science. Paris.Google Scholar
Redonid, P., ed 1987. “Science: The Renaissance of a History.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Alexandre Koyré Paris, Collége de France, 10–14 june 1986. History and Technology 4.Google Scholar
Schuhl, P.-M. 1957Hommage.” Revue philosophique 147Google Scholar
Schuhmann, K. 1987Koyré et les phénoménologues allemands.” In Redondi, ed. 1987, 149168Google Scholar
Struik, D. 1989Further Thoughts on Merton in Context.” Science in Context 3(1):221–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vinti, C. 1990 “A koyré lettore di Coperico e di Galileo.” In Copernico e Galileo: Alle origini del pensiero scientifico, edited by Vinti, C.. Cerbara, C.: 82 n.Google Scholar
Vinti, C. ed. 1994 Alexandre koyré: L'avventura intellettuale. Naples: Università diperugiaGoogle Scholar
Zambelli, P. 1987 “Hermétisme, mystique, empirisme.” In Redondi 1987.Google Scholar
Zuckerman, H. 1989The other Merton Thesis.” science in context 3(1):239–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar