Mythos e Logos: Diferença, Coexistência e Continuidade desde as Origens da Filosofia

Abstract

The central purpose of this work is to conduct an analysis and description of the difference, coexistence and continuity between the concepts of Mythos and Logos in the origin of Greek philosophy. A contemporary interpretative perspective, exemplified by Jean-Pierre Vernant, argues for a rupture and overcoming of mythical narratives by rational thinking in Archaic Greece. Conversely, authors like Jacob Burckhardt, Walter Burkert, Mircea Eliade, among others, not only acknowledge the significant role of mythology in shaping the ideas of early thinkers, but also propose a coexistent relationship between reality and imaginary continually spanning all epochs of intellectual history. Through a methodology integrating literature review, close reading, critical thought, and creative writing, the envisioned outcomes of this article are twofold: a) to highlight how the conception of a natural reason dissociated from mythology over-minimizes the complexity of the historical and cultural context in which the worldview of the pre-socratics flourished; and b) to demonstrate the existence not of a hierarchical opposition between Mythos and Logos, but rather a horizontal correlation of forces between concepts derived from cosmogonies/theogonies and the rationality of ancient philosophers.