The Concept of Pralogical Thinking by L. Levi-Brule and the Role of Mystical Things in Modern Consciousness (on the Material of Modern Beliefs and Folk Narratives)

This presentation examines a conception of the French sociologist and anthropologist Lucien Levy-Bruhl (1857— 1939): a pra-logical mentality (a term which became unpopular in the West) and the possibility of its reinterpretation today. The term pra-logical mentality (in which a «primitive» mind does not differentiate the supernatural from the real, but rather uses «mystical participation» to manipulate the world; does not address contradictions; etc.) has a clear definition, one that Levy-Bruhl wrongly applied only to tribal cultures. This paper will argue that its characteristics are equally applicable throughout contemporary society. Pra-logical and logical mentalities co-exist within each society and within each person, and clear examples of this are found in folklore texts recorded from contemporary urban performers in Ukraine as well as from urban performers internationally.