Matteo Scardovelli | Université du Québec à Montréal (original) (raw)
Thesis Chapters by Matteo Scardovelli
In this thesis I analyzed a corpus of 2264 figurative images of European parietal art. The main c... more In this thesis I analyzed a corpus of 2264 figurative images of European parietal art. The main characteristic I studied is their lateralization, i.e., whether the figures face left or right in relation to the observer. There are abundant studies on the graphic activity of contemporary populations (see, for example, Van Sommers, 1984), but almost none on ancient artistic traditions, particularly parietal art (the only reference is Sauvet, 2005). My research required a re-examination of the existing literature concerning laterality in figures in general, and a framing of the factors that have an impact on this phenomenon. This synthetic work is original, and to my knowledge, unique. Once I elaborated this general frame, I compared the theoretical expectations with the data I possessed on parietal art. Even if several factors, considered one by one, matched these expectations, I observed the existence of a shadow-factor which tipped the overall lateralization of my corpus towards the right. I had to assume that a cultural factor accounted for these unexpected data.
My interpretation of this phenomenon is supported by the special haptic connection that parietal artists had with the rock medium. Each graphic act originated in this particular relationship, explicitly seen in the fact that the artists often incorporated the forms of cave walls into the animal figures, as if their graphic projects stemmed as much from plastic suggestions from the walls as from their imagination. This aspect, which strongly characterizes parietal art, can, according to my interpretation, explain the right-facing laterality bias issuing from my analyses: originating from a tactile relationship with the cave walls, the painting or drawing of figures often started on the right side of the graphic space, the most natural side for right handers to touch the medium in front of them. The contrary fact that today right-handers prefer to start to draw on the left side of the graphic space seems to be connected with a cognitive constraint that drives us to start a drawing from the place furthest away from us (which for right-handers is located on the left side of the graphic space: Thomassen et Tuelings, 1979, p. 312‑313).
The second aspect studied in this research concerned the division of animal species represented in parietal art within homogeneous connotative groups. Following a certain number of analyses that took account of both ethological and statistical clues, I found five connotative groups: 1) dangerous species (felines, bears, rhinoceros and bisons); 2) megafauna (mammoths and megaloceros); 3) hunted species (cervids, caprines and some aquatic species); 4) humanized species (horses and aurochs); 5) human beings. For each group, a coherent graphic behavior could be seen, according to numerous indicators. The resulting frame concerning the spatial configuration of the caves confirms something that had been noticed in the past (starting with André Leroi-Gourhan, 1958). The dangerous species are located in the most remote areas of the caves as well as in the most symbolically dense artistic workings. This seems to reflect a will to create a strong impact in precise locations of the cave, so that passage of individuals through the cave would follow a crescendo movement from both the emotional and visual standpoints. Human figures also seem to occur in the more symbolically important locations; however, in this case, instead of a tensivity of repulsion, there is one of attraction. It is possible that, unlike the antagonistic relationship with regard to the dangerous species, human figures awoke an empathic identificatory feeling. As for the three remaining faunal categories, each one according to a specific modality, physically and metaphorically surround the symbolic « hard core » represented by the dangerous species and human beings.
Negli anni ’60 McLuhan inaugurava un’intera epoca di studi che non ha ancora smesso di far sentir... more Negli anni ’60 McLuhan inaugurava un’intera epoca di studi che non ha ancora smesso di far sentire i suoi effetti, ed anzi è oggi più viva che mai. A seguito delle sue ricerche e intuizioni si è infatti scoperto che ogni medium è già un messaggio, in grado di in-formare di sé gli stessi contenuti di cui via via si fa latore. Nell’epoca dei mezzi di comunicazione di massa quest’ambito di studi ha sempre avuto un accento marcatamente sociologico, mentre in sede più propriamente filosofica ci si è concentrati nello studio di un medium che ha un particolare rilievo rispetto a tutti gli altri, ed è ovviamente quello della scrittura (alfabetica). Questo sia a causa della sua longevità (dai tre a cinque millenni, a seconda dell’ottica adottata), sia a causa della sua importanza nella costruzione di un abito mentale di tipo “logico-razionale” (con la formazione della cosiddetta “mente alfabetizzata”), sia, infine, a causa della sua compartecipazione nella creazione stessa della tradizione filosofica, che è oggi essenzialmente una tradizione di scritti filosofici.
Nel presente lavoro si è ricostruita una storia della scrittura (“dalla Mesopotamia alla Grecia”) intesa nei suoi intrecci costitutivi con il resto del “sociale”. Non esiste infatti nessuna “scrittura” se non entro precisi contesti storici, sociali e soprattutto “politici”: in quanto tecnologia del pensiero e dell’archiviazione, ogni sistema di scrittura tende a venire monopolizzato dagli strati verticistici della società – sempre che, beninteso, questi siano presenti e che sentano l’esigenza di avocare a sé questa come altre funzioni culturali. Nel ’52 Ignace Gelb già invitava a considerare i sistemi di scrittura a partire dal loro funzionamento “interno”, lasciando l’analisi della “forma” dei segni sullo sfondo. Durante l’arco degli anni ’60-’80 si è andato ancora oltre, considerando i sistemi di scrittura a partire dall’ “interno” delle società stesse in cui sono stati inventati e poi mantenuti.
L’ultima parte di questo lavoro, dopo quella a carattere storico-sociologico, è tesa ad analizzare il particolare rapporto che, come rilevato da molti osservatori, sembra legare l’introduzione dell’alfabeto in suolo greco all’emergere di un pensiero di tipo “filosofico”. L’alfabeto, a differenza di altre scritture, è inteso come un sistema di scrittura dai connotati ambigui: ad esempio, da un lato ha l’aria di essere l’unico sistema in grado di notare il solo livello “fonetico” di una lingua (quindi il solo suono delle parole), ma dall’altro, ad un attento esame ci si accorge che, più che notare il “suono”, l’alfabeto collabora a produrre il livello fonetico della lingua, visto che, come supportato da varie osservazioni, la vera unità minima del parlato – in ogni lingua – è quella sillabica; in altri termini, la scomposizione della sillaba in singoli fonemi non sarebbe altro che un’operazione della mente astraente, quindi un’operazione per nulla “naturale”. Questa è d’altronde la stessa ambivalenza che Platone riscontrava nei contenuti stessi del testo alfabetico – dei suoi come di ogni testo: la loro ripetizione dà solo un’ “aria” di sapienza, mentre la vera sapienza non si accontenta della ripetizione di formule. In quest’ambivalenza non risolta molti vedono la vera radice del pensiero filosofico occidentale.
Papers by Matteo Scardovelli
L'« art » du Pléistocène peut nous donner des informations utiles sur les capacités cognitives de... more L'« art » du Pléistocène peut nous donner des informations utiles sur les capacités cognitives de ses exécuteurs. En examinant seuleπment les oeuvres dites «réalistes», il est alors intéressant d'investiguer les processus à l'oeuvre dans l'acte de la vision. On sait que les objets construits à travers l'acte de la vision ne sont pas des «donnés naturels», mais le résultat de complexes élaborations cognitives. Quel est donc le seuil cognitif qui permet de mettre en relation, par exemple, la figure d'un cheval avec un cheval réel ?
The double and the vision : what is the necessary cognitive level to associate a drawing with its referent? Pleistocene «art» can provide us with useful information about the cognitive abilities of its executors. By only examining «realistic» depictions, it is interesting to investigate the processes that are at work in the act of vision. We know that objects constructed through the act of vision are not «natural data», but the result of complex cognitive elaborations. What is then the cognitive threshold that permits the connection between, for example, the figure of a horse with a real horse?
My contribution starts with the semiotic acknowledgement that each work of art has to be consider... more My contribution starts with the semiotic acknowledgement that each work of art has to be considered as the support of an unlimited number of different “interpretations”; i.e. as just one element of what Peirce called the infinite semiosis. Furthermore, each work of art is always a part of a system, which is commonly called Art. Art system can be interpreted as a communication system: its elements dispose themselves following some formal rules, the semiotic value of each contingent structuring can respond to many different functions, and its conformation tend to acquire an isomorphic structure with the society’s one.
About Paleoart, I defend the idea that there is no such thing as “primitive art” because, if it is a system, it means that its function is already fully accomplished. Talking more specifically about European Paleoart, I deepen the idea that, through a semiotically structured display of animal forms, humans of that ancient past tried to structure the world through the imaginary, and vice versa to structure the imaginary through salient forms belonging to the world: i.e. big herbivores. Finally, I suggest that this need of structuring their imaginary could correspond to an attempt of seeking human’s place in the context of natural world.
Actes du XI Colloque International Artefact (Université Laval, Québec), 2012
Dans le présent article, je vise à énucléer une conception vaste, mais sémiologiquement fondée et... more Dans le présent article, je vise à énucléer une conception vaste, mais sémiologiquement fondée et structurée, de ce qu'on entend par « art ». En particulier, je m'appuie sur les recherches de Niklas Luhmann, lequel élabore une conception sociologique de l'art en tant que système fondé et basé sur la communication. L'art arrive à communiquer en utilisant non pas les signes, mais les perceptions mêmes : la matière est son médium privilégié pour véhiculer le sens. Suivant Gregory Bateson, je fais une distinction entre les communications propres au « processus primaire » et au « processus secondaire », selon la terminologie de Sigmund Freud. La communication artistique est alors celle qui arrive à connecter ces deux modalités de la communication et de la pensée. En conclusion, j'utilise ces considérations pour tirer quelques déductions pertinentes pour les recherches qui problématisent la naissance de l'art au paléolithique.
Drafts by Matteo Scardovelli
This is a video of home-made experimental archaeology. What you will see is the recreation of the... more This is a video of home-made experimental archaeology. What you will see is the recreation of the famous engraving made on a piece of ochre found in Blombos cave, South Africa, and dated to about 75.000 years BP. In the end of the video I also make some personal considerations.
Dans ce bref essai je considère l'articulation entre le plan plastique et le plan iconique propre... more Dans ce bref essai je considère l'articulation entre le plan plastique et le plan iconique propres à la sémiotique visuelle sous l'angle des sciences cognitives et de la perception visuelle.
Dans ce bref essai je résume la position philosophique de Carlo Sini face à la question de la gén... more Dans ce bref essai je résume la position philosophique de Carlo Sini face à la question de la généalogie du signe.
Nombre de sciences appliquées étudiant le fonctionnement d’un système tiennent pour informatives ... more Nombre de sciences appliquées étudiant le fonctionnement d’un système tiennent pour informatives autant les données relatives à son mauvais fonctionnement que celles concernant son bon fonctionnement. Ceci pour une raison évidente : pour connaître l’étendue d’une règle, il faut en mettre à l’épreuve les contextes d’application ; et pour ce faire, il faut nécessairement passer par l’étude de ses échecs. Dans le présent article, je vais utiliser la classe d’images appelée « illusions visuelles » en tant que révélateur, a contrario, du fonctionnement du système visuo-cognitif humain. En particulier, je vais défendre l’idée selon laquelle il y a trois mécanismes relativement indépendants qui sont à l’œuvre pendant l’acte de « décodage » des images. Ces trois mécanismes relèvent du domaine de la perception des stimuli, du domaine cognitif de la perception d’images iconiques et, enfin, du domaine de l’imaginaire.
Cet article vise à esquisser une "histoire" conceptuelle de l’être, non tant avec l’intention d’e... more Cet article vise à esquisser une "histoire" conceptuelle de l’être, non tant avec l’intention d’en retracer les péripéties philosophico-historiques, mais plutôt selon une optique phénoménologique : dans quel sens l’être est quelque chose qui est ? Quel est la relation entre sa nature d’apparêtre et sa nature en tant que transcendantale par excellence ? Ces questionnements nous porteront à confronter la notion de l’être avec celle du néant, confrontation qui de quelque manière hante toute réflexion philosophique dès ses débuts. À leur tour, ces notions seront confrontées avec celle de conscience, de cogito, qui aussi – au sens sartrien – est caractérisée par des instances liées au "négatif". Après avoir montré de quelle manière la phénoménologie a investigué à sa façon ces problématiques, nous montrerons les similitudes que cette thématique (le néant en tant que compréhension de l’être) a – depuis toujours – avec la pensée mystique, en faisant référence en particulier à la tradition du bouddhisme zen.
Conference Presentations by Matteo Scardovelli
The interest concerning how animal species interact with each other in prehistoric rock art dates... more The interest concerning how animal species interact with each other in prehistoric rock art dates back to at least the time of Leroi-Gourhan. Since then, animal interactions have been studied following a certain number of paradigms, going from the semiotic perspective (Leroi-Gourhan) to a shamanic point of view (Lewis-Williams). Other scholars (among which, Lorblanchet) focused more on naturalism. According to this perspective, animals are depicted imitating " real " animal interactions in nature (or, at least, the idea of prehistoric men had about these interactions). We should always remember that the naturalistic paradigm (like any other paradigm) is not exclusive: naturalism can coexist with many other layers of interpretation, such as symbolism, aesthetics, totemic approach, and so on. I decided to analyze animal interaction in European cave art following the naturalistic paradigm and using a statistical methodology (a kind of analysis partly inspired by the works of Georges Sauvet). At my disposal I have a database (elaborated in SPSS software) with more than 2000 animal images belonging to 29 European caves (among which only 6 major ones, i.e. with more than 40 animal figures). Besides other variables, I analyzed these images according to 22 different possibilities of " interaction " – some of which are reciprocal (such as " following " or " facing "), and others which are asymmetrical (as " containing " VS " contained " or " behind " VS " in front of "). In the paper I combine data concerning Relations, the different Species involved in those relations and the Distance by the entrance of the cave. This permits me to group some of the values belonging to these three variable, thus simplifying the presentation of the hole analyzes, and finally getting to some interesting results. In the end of the paper I sketch the hypothesis that the Species can be grouped in 4 major groups. Each of them is more frequent in a certain section of the cave, and the species belonging to each group are engaged in some kind of relation to the detriment of the other kinds.
In this thesis I analyzed a corpus of 2264 figurative images of European parietal art. The main c... more In this thesis I analyzed a corpus of 2264 figurative images of European parietal art. The main characteristic I studied is their lateralization, i.e., whether the figures face left or right in relation to the observer. There are abundant studies on the graphic activity of contemporary populations (see, for example, Van Sommers, 1984), but almost none on ancient artistic traditions, particularly parietal art (the only reference is Sauvet, 2005). My research required a re-examination of the existing literature concerning laterality in figures in general, and a framing of the factors that have an impact on this phenomenon. This synthetic work is original, and to my knowledge, unique. Once I elaborated this general frame, I compared the theoretical expectations with the data I possessed on parietal art. Even if several factors, considered one by one, matched these expectations, I observed the existence of a shadow-factor which tipped the overall lateralization of my corpus towards the right. I had to assume that a cultural factor accounted for these unexpected data.
My interpretation of this phenomenon is supported by the special haptic connection that parietal artists had with the rock medium. Each graphic act originated in this particular relationship, explicitly seen in the fact that the artists often incorporated the forms of cave walls into the animal figures, as if their graphic projects stemmed as much from plastic suggestions from the walls as from their imagination. This aspect, which strongly characterizes parietal art, can, according to my interpretation, explain the right-facing laterality bias issuing from my analyses: originating from a tactile relationship with the cave walls, the painting or drawing of figures often started on the right side of the graphic space, the most natural side for right handers to touch the medium in front of them. The contrary fact that today right-handers prefer to start to draw on the left side of the graphic space seems to be connected with a cognitive constraint that drives us to start a drawing from the place furthest away from us (which for right-handers is located on the left side of the graphic space: Thomassen et Tuelings, 1979, p. 312‑313).
The second aspect studied in this research concerned the division of animal species represented in parietal art within homogeneous connotative groups. Following a certain number of analyses that took account of both ethological and statistical clues, I found five connotative groups: 1) dangerous species (felines, bears, rhinoceros and bisons); 2) megafauna (mammoths and megaloceros); 3) hunted species (cervids, caprines and some aquatic species); 4) humanized species (horses and aurochs); 5) human beings. For each group, a coherent graphic behavior could be seen, according to numerous indicators. The resulting frame concerning the spatial configuration of the caves confirms something that had been noticed in the past (starting with André Leroi-Gourhan, 1958). The dangerous species are located in the most remote areas of the caves as well as in the most symbolically dense artistic workings. This seems to reflect a will to create a strong impact in precise locations of the cave, so that passage of individuals through the cave would follow a crescendo movement from both the emotional and visual standpoints. Human figures also seem to occur in the more symbolically important locations; however, in this case, instead of a tensivity of repulsion, there is one of attraction. It is possible that, unlike the antagonistic relationship with regard to the dangerous species, human figures awoke an empathic identificatory feeling. As for the three remaining faunal categories, each one according to a specific modality, physically and metaphorically surround the symbolic « hard core » represented by the dangerous species and human beings.
Negli anni ’60 McLuhan inaugurava un’intera epoca di studi che non ha ancora smesso di far sentir... more Negli anni ’60 McLuhan inaugurava un’intera epoca di studi che non ha ancora smesso di far sentire i suoi effetti, ed anzi è oggi più viva che mai. A seguito delle sue ricerche e intuizioni si è infatti scoperto che ogni medium è già un messaggio, in grado di in-formare di sé gli stessi contenuti di cui via via si fa latore. Nell’epoca dei mezzi di comunicazione di massa quest’ambito di studi ha sempre avuto un accento marcatamente sociologico, mentre in sede più propriamente filosofica ci si è concentrati nello studio di un medium che ha un particolare rilievo rispetto a tutti gli altri, ed è ovviamente quello della scrittura (alfabetica). Questo sia a causa della sua longevità (dai tre a cinque millenni, a seconda dell’ottica adottata), sia a causa della sua importanza nella costruzione di un abito mentale di tipo “logico-razionale” (con la formazione della cosiddetta “mente alfabetizzata”), sia, infine, a causa della sua compartecipazione nella creazione stessa della tradizione filosofica, che è oggi essenzialmente una tradizione di scritti filosofici.
Nel presente lavoro si è ricostruita una storia della scrittura (“dalla Mesopotamia alla Grecia”) intesa nei suoi intrecci costitutivi con il resto del “sociale”. Non esiste infatti nessuna “scrittura” se non entro precisi contesti storici, sociali e soprattutto “politici”: in quanto tecnologia del pensiero e dell’archiviazione, ogni sistema di scrittura tende a venire monopolizzato dagli strati verticistici della società – sempre che, beninteso, questi siano presenti e che sentano l’esigenza di avocare a sé questa come altre funzioni culturali. Nel ’52 Ignace Gelb già invitava a considerare i sistemi di scrittura a partire dal loro funzionamento “interno”, lasciando l’analisi della “forma” dei segni sullo sfondo. Durante l’arco degli anni ’60-’80 si è andato ancora oltre, considerando i sistemi di scrittura a partire dall’ “interno” delle società stesse in cui sono stati inventati e poi mantenuti.
L’ultima parte di questo lavoro, dopo quella a carattere storico-sociologico, è tesa ad analizzare il particolare rapporto che, come rilevato da molti osservatori, sembra legare l’introduzione dell’alfabeto in suolo greco all’emergere di un pensiero di tipo “filosofico”. L’alfabeto, a differenza di altre scritture, è inteso come un sistema di scrittura dai connotati ambigui: ad esempio, da un lato ha l’aria di essere l’unico sistema in grado di notare il solo livello “fonetico” di una lingua (quindi il solo suono delle parole), ma dall’altro, ad un attento esame ci si accorge che, più che notare il “suono”, l’alfabeto collabora a produrre il livello fonetico della lingua, visto che, come supportato da varie osservazioni, la vera unità minima del parlato – in ogni lingua – è quella sillabica; in altri termini, la scomposizione della sillaba in singoli fonemi non sarebbe altro che un’operazione della mente astraente, quindi un’operazione per nulla “naturale”. Questa è d’altronde la stessa ambivalenza che Platone riscontrava nei contenuti stessi del testo alfabetico – dei suoi come di ogni testo: la loro ripetizione dà solo un’ “aria” di sapienza, mentre la vera sapienza non si accontenta della ripetizione di formule. In quest’ambivalenza non risolta molti vedono la vera radice del pensiero filosofico occidentale.
L'« art » du Pléistocène peut nous donner des informations utiles sur les capacités cognitives de... more L'« art » du Pléistocène peut nous donner des informations utiles sur les capacités cognitives de ses exécuteurs. En examinant seuleπment les oeuvres dites «réalistes», il est alors intéressant d'investiguer les processus à l'oeuvre dans l'acte de la vision. On sait que les objets construits à travers l'acte de la vision ne sont pas des «donnés naturels», mais le résultat de complexes élaborations cognitives. Quel est donc le seuil cognitif qui permet de mettre en relation, par exemple, la figure d'un cheval avec un cheval réel ?
The double and the vision : what is the necessary cognitive level to associate a drawing with its referent? Pleistocene «art» can provide us with useful information about the cognitive abilities of its executors. By only examining «realistic» depictions, it is interesting to investigate the processes that are at work in the act of vision. We know that objects constructed through the act of vision are not «natural data», but the result of complex cognitive elaborations. What is then the cognitive threshold that permits the connection between, for example, the figure of a horse with a real horse?
My contribution starts with the semiotic acknowledgement that each work of art has to be consider... more My contribution starts with the semiotic acknowledgement that each work of art has to be considered as the support of an unlimited number of different “interpretations”; i.e. as just one element of what Peirce called the infinite semiosis. Furthermore, each work of art is always a part of a system, which is commonly called Art. Art system can be interpreted as a communication system: its elements dispose themselves following some formal rules, the semiotic value of each contingent structuring can respond to many different functions, and its conformation tend to acquire an isomorphic structure with the society’s one.
About Paleoart, I defend the idea that there is no such thing as “primitive art” because, if it is a system, it means that its function is already fully accomplished. Talking more specifically about European Paleoart, I deepen the idea that, through a semiotically structured display of animal forms, humans of that ancient past tried to structure the world through the imaginary, and vice versa to structure the imaginary through salient forms belonging to the world: i.e. big herbivores. Finally, I suggest that this need of structuring their imaginary could correspond to an attempt of seeking human’s place in the context of natural world.
Actes du XI Colloque International Artefact (Université Laval, Québec), 2012
Dans le présent article, je vise à énucléer une conception vaste, mais sémiologiquement fondée et... more Dans le présent article, je vise à énucléer une conception vaste, mais sémiologiquement fondée et structurée, de ce qu'on entend par « art ». En particulier, je m'appuie sur les recherches de Niklas Luhmann, lequel élabore une conception sociologique de l'art en tant que système fondé et basé sur la communication. L'art arrive à communiquer en utilisant non pas les signes, mais les perceptions mêmes : la matière est son médium privilégié pour véhiculer le sens. Suivant Gregory Bateson, je fais une distinction entre les communications propres au « processus primaire » et au « processus secondaire », selon la terminologie de Sigmund Freud. La communication artistique est alors celle qui arrive à connecter ces deux modalités de la communication et de la pensée. En conclusion, j'utilise ces considérations pour tirer quelques déductions pertinentes pour les recherches qui problématisent la naissance de l'art au paléolithique.
This is a video of home-made experimental archaeology. What you will see is the recreation of the... more This is a video of home-made experimental archaeology. What you will see is the recreation of the famous engraving made on a piece of ochre found in Blombos cave, South Africa, and dated to about 75.000 years BP. In the end of the video I also make some personal considerations.
Dans ce bref essai je considère l'articulation entre le plan plastique et le plan iconique propre... more Dans ce bref essai je considère l'articulation entre le plan plastique et le plan iconique propres à la sémiotique visuelle sous l'angle des sciences cognitives et de la perception visuelle.
Dans ce bref essai je résume la position philosophique de Carlo Sini face à la question de la gén... more Dans ce bref essai je résume la position philosophique de Carlo Sini face à la question de la généalogie du signe.
Nombre de sciences appliquées étudiant le fonctionnement d’un système tiennent pour informatives ... more Nombre de sciences appliquées étudiant le fonctionnement d’un système tiennent pour informatives autant les données relatives à son mauvais fonctionnement que celles concernant son bon fonctionnement. Ceci pour une raison évidente : pour connaître l’étendue d’une règle, il faut en mettre à l’épreuve les contextes d’application ; et pour ce faire, il faut nécessairement passer par l’étude de ses échecs. Dans le présent article, je vais utiliser la classe d’images appelée « illusions visuelles » en tant que révélateur, a contrario, du fonctionnement du système visuo-cognitif humain. En particulier, je vais défendre l’idée selon laquelle il y a trois mécanismes relativement indépendants qui sont à l’œuvre pendant l’acte de « décodage » des images. Ces trois mécanismes relèvent du domaine de la perception des stimuli, du domaine cognitif de la perception d’images iconiques et, enfin, du domaine de l’imaginaire.
Cet article vise à esquisser une "histoire" conceptuelle de l’être, non tant avec l’intention d’e... more Cet article vise à esquisser une "histoire" conceptuelle de l’être, non tant avec l’intention d’en retracer les péripéties philosophico-historiques, mais plutôt selon une optique phénoménologique : dans quel sens l’être est quelque chose qui est ? Quel est la relation entre sa nature d’apparêtre et sa nature en tant que transcendantale par excellence ? Ces questionnements nous porteront à confronter la notion de l’être avec celle du néant, confrontation qui de quelque manière hante toute réflexion philosophique dès ses débuts. À leur tour, ces notions seront confrontées avec celle de conscience, de cogito, qui aussi – au sens sartrien – est caractérisée par des instances liées au "négatif". Après avoir montré de quelle manière la phénoménologie a investigué à sa façon ces problématiques, nous montrerons les similitudes que cette thématique (le néant en tant que compréhension de l’être) a – depuis toujours – avec la pensée mystique, en faisant référence en particulier à la tradition du bouddhisme zen.
The interest concerning how animal species interact with each other in prehistoric rock art dates... more The interest concerning how animal species interact with each other in prehistoric rock art dates back to at least the time of Leroi-Gourhan. Since then, animal interactions have been studied following a certain number of paradigms, going from the semiotic perspective (Leroi-Gourhan) to a shamanic point of view (Lewis-Williams). Other scholars (among which, Lorblanchet) focused more on naturalism. According to this perspective, animals are depicted imitating " real " animal interactions in nature (or, at least, the idea of prehistoric men had about these interactions). We should always remember that the naturalistic paradigm (like any other paradigm) is not exclusive: naturalism can coexist with many other layers of interpretation, such as symbolism, aesthetics, totemic approach, and so on. I decided to analyze animal interaction in European cave art following the naturalistic paradigm and using a statistical methodology (a kind of analysis partly inspired by the works of Georges Sauvet). At my disposal I have a database (elaborated in SPSS software) with more than 2000 animal images belonging to 29 European caves (among which only 6 major ones, i.e. with more than 40 animal figures). Besides other variables, I analyzed these images according to 22 different possibilities of " interaction " – some of which are reciprocal (such as " following " or " facing "), and others which are asymmetrical (as " containing " VS " contained " or " behind " VS " in front of "). In the paper I combine data concerning Relations, the different Species involved in those relations and the Distance by the entrance of the cave. This permits me to group some of the values belonging to these three variable, thus simplifying the presentation of the hole analyzes, and finally getting to some interesting results. In the end of the paper I sketch the hypothesis that the Species can be grouped in 4 major groups. Each of them is more frequent in a certain section of the cave, and the species belonging to each group are engaged in some kind of relation to the detriment of the other kinds.