Georg W. Oesterdiekhoff: The Nature of “Premodern” Mind. Tylor, Frazer, Lévy-Bruhl, Evans-Pritchard, Piaget, and Beyond

Abstract. – The debate about the mental differences between modern and premodern peoples still continues. Since the 1980s, theories of “cultural relativism” and “universality of rationality” have prevailed in ethnological discussions, having largely replaced the previous theories of mental development and evolutionary approaches. The history of ethnology has not been determined by empirical research but largely by ideological and political ambitions. This essay shows that it is necessary to resume the discussion of the previously dominant theories, known as the “British school” and the “French school.” The debate about Levy-Bruhl’s theory in particular launched into a strange way. It is useful to recall the developmental interpretation of this theory in order to work out an appropriate theory about the changes of reasoning and worldview in the history of mankind. Empirical psychological surveys now tend to support the previous evolutionary approaches rather than the two currently leading theories. [developmental approach, premodern worldview, modes of thought, mentality differences]