Hierogênese e absoluto

Ernesto De Martino e a epistemologia do sagrado

Abstract

In his theory of the sacred, historian of religions Ernesto De Martino (1908-1965) described myth and rituality as cultural responses to existential problems. Analyzing religious practices from the point of view of a pragmatic and functionalist social psychology, magical-ritual techniques are described as defense devices capable of protecting the “presence”, that is, the power of decision and choice in accordance with values.

Faced with life crises, human beings would resort to operational models historically consolidated within a community, action devices through which to conduct a response to deal with a contingent difficulty. In such way, they may avoid the risk of psychological disintegration, the fall into panic arbitrariness, relativistic pantoclasm and disorientation in a world that is no longer similar to oneself, with which it is no more possible to establish dialogue. This dialogue seeks the symbol as a channel of communication.

The article offers a synthesis of the main moments of De Martino's reflection and a juxtaposition of his interpretation with the theoretical models of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Mircea Eliade and Rudolph Otto.