Rethinking Symbolism by Dan Sperber (review)

Books 163 method to resolvereligiousdoubts, the result of a poll would read something like Christians: 940 million: Moslems: 450 million; Hindus: 350 million; Others: 590 million. Does this settle anything? The procedure is about as sensible as the religious wars: ‘MyGod isbetter than your God, because I am bigger and stronger than you and I’ll bash you if you don’t agree.’ One would hope that in science, as in religion, quality, not quantity, should be the limiting parameter. Be that as it may, there can be few reports of work in this field that are as complete and as well written. The third section of the book is a short recapitulation, attempting to reconcile materialism and parapsychology to produce a comprehensive conception of the world, which turns out to demand a Creator. There is much quoting of philosophers here, tending to the view that if God does not exist then it is necessary for Man to invent Him. Although there are some defects in logic in the book, the first section alone is worth the purchase price for assembling so much usefulinformation. This isa timelyreferencework that will repay thoughtful rereading. Rethinking Symbolism. Dan Sperber. Trans. from French by Alice L. Morton. Canibridge University Press, London, 1975. 153 pp. Paper, €1.90.Reviewed by Naomi Boretz* In his book Sperber introduces in anthropology a new general hypothesis of symbolism. Though not formally rigorous, it is, in the best sense,logical. His gift for exposition and his respect for the lexicalmeanings of words make the book accessibleto even a relatively uninformed reader. In the Preface he states: ‘Human learning abilities are phylogeneticallydetermined and culturally determinant.’ In the early chapters he argues against the currently fashionable semiological conception of symbols and criticizes the views of Freud, Turner and, to some extent, Levi-Straws. The last two chapters are a brilliant exposition of a cognitive view of symbolism: symbols represent knowledge but not ‘encyclopaedic ’ knowledge. Throughout the book his field-work experiences with the Dorze of Ethiopia, among whom he lived for several years, are used as examplars. But it is probably the finalchapter, The Symbolic Mechanism, to whichthe artist-reader might firstturn. Sperberspeakshere of colour (and smell) classifications and poses a hypothesis of evocation that should be of particular interest to those involved in art work. He deftly describes evocation, in a manner almost Proustian: ’. . .likea magician who plucks a longmulti-coloured string of handkerchiefs out of a top hat that seemedempty-one can recover by means of that recognition [of a smell] a whole series of memories one didn’t know one still had’ (p. 1 1 7 ) . Of special relevance are the discussions of passive and active memory, individual symbolism and the following hypotheses: ‘Evocation is never totally determined; there always remains a considerable degree of freedom. . . .’ and ‘The symbolic mechanismseemslikea verygeneral onethat underlies extremely diverse intellectual activities.’ Many of his assertions are formulated primarily as heuristic stimuli; nevertheless, although he suggests that he has offered simplifiedversions of aspects of linguistic and of psychological theoretical studies in developing his arguments here, the nonspecialist .reader would still be well-advised to read further into the literature for a clearer understanding of the nature and scope of his contribution. The short, judiciously-selected list of references would make an excellent starting-point for such an investigation. Music of tbe Spheresand the Dance of Death: Studiesin Musical Icooology.Kathi Meyer-Baer. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, N.J., 1970.376 pp., illus. $13.50. Reviewed by Vernie Logan** An iconologicalstudy isconcerned with discovering the content, when unknown, and interpreting it, and with the possible symbolicalmeaning of specificthemes and motifs in works of art. *I5 Southern Way, Princeton, N.J. 08540,U S A . **Baylor University, Waco, TX 76703,U.S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meyer-Baerexamines two specificthemes, Music of the Spheres and The Dance of Death, to show how they have been used allegoricallyby composers of music asa symbol of harmony and of the heavens, on one hand, and of sin, death and hell, on the other. The Music of the Spheres theme is seen as developing from hypotheses of the cosmos in antiquity. As she says: ‘Theideas of the Babylonians, Persians and Greeks, quite...