Mircea Eliade, the Romanian historian of religion, argues that traditional societies lived in cyclical time. Through ritual, they repeated the acts of gods and ancestors, abolishing ordinary history and returning to the moment of creation. He contrasts this archaic view with modern historical consciousness, in which events are unique and cannot be undone, and considers what that shift means for human anxiety.
This is an academic but short work for readers of comparative religion, anthropology and philosophy. Anyone interested in why myths and rituals recur across cultures gets Eliade's key concepts, such as sacred time and archetype, in a compact form.
Deep and contemplative; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2011
- Publisher
- Univers enciclopedic gold
- Language
- RO
