Mythology and economic ethics, the story of Procrustes in question
By
Nicolas Madelenat di Florio
From the Historical Society of Literature France.
Research Associate at
Centre for Research in Economic Ethics,
University Paul Cézanne.
In my first teacher, my first literary discoveries.
To Jean-Yves Naudet, in memory of trade in things economic and moral.
C. A, because nothing would exist without unreason mortals.
is a contradiction in terms to draw a sinless literature of the man who is a fisherman.
Newman.
Anyone interested in the story, which we will take care to clarify that it includes the old sense (and thus includes, in large part mythology), can not ignore the Short Dictionary of the story, the intelligence poets, Tables, and Articles on subjects drawn from history Poetics of Chompre whose editor said he was dismissed in Law. Y are given by entries in alphabetical order, the various images used in mythology and frequently cited in literature, poetry, and art. From the beginning of the book, a warning from the author because we know that mythology is a tissue of fancies, a confused mass of facts, sometimes in real substance, but no timeline, no order, often repeated under different names, finally is an assemblage of miserable stories, most destitute [private] likelihood, and worthy of contempt. But we also know that knowledge of these chimeras and pagan poetry is absolutely necessary to hear the authors. In this view we have gathered here in alphabetical order what he has to say on this crucial matter, to spare the young people the trouble to draw on sources often poisoned, where, after a study dangerous and disgusting, there is nothing to gain for reason, and there is everything to lose for the heart (Chompré, Dictionary Short of Fable ... , Rouen, Chez Pierre's widow Dumesnil, 1786). It is therefore, for Mr. Chompre, some danger in attendance images offered by mythology or imitation thereof by the youth or readers; between this approach fun mimetic fear and condemnation of St. Augustine There is only one step. The author of Confessions condemned already, attendance images found contrary to faith or the right line to be followed by the aspirant to wisdom ( Confessions, Book I, Chapter XIV. of Greek and Latin. The author condemns the learning of texts deemed unethical and tend to instill in young minds leanings he considers bad) There is the danger of mimetic appropriation in Book I, Chapter XVI. Against Fables of lewd Confessions , the author does not hesitate to point out that but we touch the truth more closely, said he pretended [Homer] these fables, carrying the qualities of a God to a wicked man , lest they appeared crimes do what they are, so that whoever is guilty, seemed rather to have imitated the immortal gods that corrupt men. And yet, O river of Hell! Aboard the children of men over the course of your waves with these beautiful Furnishings, in order to make this rich booty. He added later, which further demonstrates the significance of the ethical of the Work of St. Augustine, that no, no, words are not learned better with these impurities, but these impurities are practiced with more confidence on the direction of such myths. I do not accuse the words that are innocent and precious vases, but the wine of error which we presented it, and if we did not drink, we do it without whipping was permitted to appeal to a judge sober. There is a double statement, shared by Augustine of Hippo and later Chompre. On the one hand, the story does not necessarily represent real situations it may be a poetic way of representing truth, or abstract concepts, under the garb intelligible to the majority. Emile Cioran, philosopher famous Sacred and religion, sometimes stroking his works in the idea that the great founding texts of religious thought would be a picture book for the understanding of phenomena, inherently complex, that the drafters intended to propagate. This idea is in my view, amply demonstrated by the Koran, which contains many texts, poetic, dealing with issues of morality and religion. But the example most widely accessible to Europeans remains of Greek mythology, first because it was largely inspired most of our literature and our arts, and partly because many of the beliefs and rituals are passed into our culture. Hoping to open my discussion here to the fable, and extract all that can be on business ethics, it came naturally to me so the idea of seeking the necessary support. Because the story has not always been scorned in the literature, including literature, moral or moralistic. She did not hesitate, either, to serve as a major relay between antiquity and our time, which was met by fabulist say Mr. Florian in From Fable , introductory chapter his Fables (in Works by Florian , Fables , Paris, 1811) matter to your readers that the subject of one of your tales was first coined by a Greek, a Spaniard, or by you? The important thing is that it is done well. La Bruyere said: The choice of thoughts is invention. Besides, you have to make an example of the Fountain. It is hardly its apologists that I have found in earlier writers than he. But how are they? If anything could add to its glory, it would be this comparison. And Antoine Houde of Motte (1662-1731, French author and playwright, scholar) say that to make a good fable, it is necessary first to suggest a moral truth, hide under the allegory of an image that does not sin nor against correctness, nor against the unity, nor against nature, then bring the players that we will speak in a familiar style but elegant, simple but ingenious animated what is more cheerful and more graceful by distinguishing the nuances of smiling and graceful, naturalness and naive. This view is not shared by Jean-François Marmontel (1723-1799, encyclopedic, philosopher, grammarian, playwright) who La Fontaine has not only heard what he said, but he saw it, he believes the show yet. This is not a poet who imagines this is not a joke teller that it is a witness to this action, and wants to go there yourself this: his erudition, his eloquence, his philosophy , politics, everything he has imagination, memory, feeling, he does everything, the best faith in the world, to persuade you, and it is this air of good faith is the seriousness with which he mixes with the great things smaller is the importance it attaches to children's games is the interest that takes for a rabbit and a weasel, which one is tempted to exclaim at every moment, good man! Of these three fragments is therefore to take the measurement. For the first, and that was what I wanted to show the origin of the subjects matter; Fable having such great power to evoke an echo in everyone, being a small world in itself. For the second, the writing must be controlled, coerced, we must instill a moral, force, and build the story around. It is therefore, in these fables is a choice to cause the process of identifying mimetic. One comment when the power of impregnation: the reader does not identify itself as the imperative to understand in its entirety, to perceive the will of the fabulist. The mimetic identification will be decreasing over time, the company by changing the report in writing, and evolution itself, the uses are changing and the ability to recognize, and the willingness to identify, s' lessen. In the third pass, finally, it is case of La Fontaine, one of our greatest storytellers French. And the author to add that his style is superimposed, the styling and the dominant imperative of spontaneity, La Fontaine, Marmontel, is in his fables, just as Proust Search of Lost Time . Identification mimetic seems reversed, but will be more attractive. Indeed, if the author is the world of which he speaks, then the reader has before him a person, not a sheet of paper covered with signs, which are echoed in his mind and learned the meanings of the codes. Probably is this the difference between a book and beach real literature, one that conveys, as it is a completely timeless, high volume for the sole purpose of serving the humanity in everyone present.
Greek mythology has left a most interesting tale, that of Procrustes. The Short Dictionary of Fable , cited above, gives a quick overview where Procrustes, or Procrustes, which is a famous thief Theseus is measured, and it killed him. The statement of facts stops there. By combining different versions, it appears several elements: Procrustes was a robber confronted the region Céphisia (OVID, Metamorphoses , Book VII) and was used to force people crossed on his way to lie on a bed and cut the body parts that exceeded. A variant of this legend Procrustes has two beds, in the largest he slept most petty criminals, and stretched their bodies with ropes until elongation thus they occupy the exact size. The biggest criminals, meanwhile, were lying in a bed, decapitated and had their feet sliced if necessary. Theseus comes, and he will suffer the same fate. However, the interest of this tale lies neither in the analysis of sordid nor in the Apology of Theseus as a defender of the weak and the oppressed, even as the guardian of order and peace, or worse, Justice. For what denounces images made by history, it is primarily a drift common to our age, egalitarianism. This is done by forcing Procrustes body to occupy a space that measures and corrects arbitrarily from a rule that only he seems to know and understand the logic. But add that its authority derives its strength and if people cross could escape, they would not accept being treated well, and killing. So there, again, a significant part to the legitimacy interventionist power of Procrustes. Thus it is both master of measures, operator of the verification and correction, and it therefore reserves the right to make law, to verify compliance with this yardstick of reality, and that no sanction between not. Procrustes behind, then it is easy to distinguish the shadow of the state which is often dealer laws, rules, father of verification instruments and measurement, then application of the sanction. So there is this mythological fragment instruction very learned, namely that the rule is only valid from the time it takes account of reality, which is added to the application in principle, separated from the silly and informed judgments can not be considered legitimate. And say that interventionism can not be accepted without real legitimacy, that legitimacy can not be true given the state making the request, but by those who suffer. There is therefore, in Procrustes, and in our modern states, a tendency to double the unreasonable (in the sense that because of regulations exclude "automatic") and egalitarianism. Indeed, it is not feasible, not legitimate, to reduce the human, the differences, a set of factors single, arbitrarily decided to produce the desired results to be similar. The ethical teaching of this fable seems very wide. On the one hand, reject inhumane rules that would tend to reduce the dignity of the person (to reduce the economic capacity of a person is a deprivation of liberty) on the other hand, reject interventionism as contrary to the nature of man, its differences, strengths and weaknesses. For States, which is placed in weight-cons freedoms and individual initiative, disrupt the spontaneous adjustment of the market, which is what made when Procrustes catch passersby before forcing them to expand. It disrupts the course of their march, and their lives assume a power of justice over justice itself (the act of driving into a beast, being a criminal, for example, does not justify the Executioner is more barbarous than the crime), almighty, boundless and without motive. Lack legitimacy, Procrustes becomes a criminal, just as criminal as those he condemns. Egalitarianism portrayed thus does not correct the deficiencies, reduce, and increase opportunities, qualities the contrary, such treatment results only exacerbate the unfair competition between individuals. On a natural, spontaneous, competition between individuals, interventionism creates social discrimination, racism or sectarianism still a strong and growing. Greater the tendency to impose an equality that does not exist, and can not exist (because two different people have strengths and weaknesses, different) and less cooperation can take place. Pulled down, people will then stop trying to excel. Egalitarianism by slowing the natural mechanisms of human relations kills the machine of society. Egalitarianism anime Procrustes arm when trying to dispense justice, he removes the life. The State did the same thing by imposing an equality which can exist in a world where people have the right to be in accordance with their nature, ie being different from each other, with their diversity and proud of their peculiarities. That pluralism of individuals, their abilities vary, but complementary, that lies the unity of a society and in this soil that will develop the innovation, the friction of different ideas and visions often contradictory. Competition between individuals is nothing wrong in being a fundamental characteristic, spontaneous, to be human thinking, who wants to go against competition will thus, in fact, contrary to human nature. To justify this one, so how can he, as a worthy successor of Procrustes, to deprive of liberty to impose equal stupefying (and temporary).
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