An Archetypal Observation on the Paths Narrowing from Noesis to Language in Western Thought

Abstract

This study examines the historical transformation of thought within a philosophical context. Its primary objective is to analyze the evolution of thought through an archetypal approach. This analysis will proceed by employing the motif of the conceptual and contextual narrowing of thought. In antiquity, thinking possessed a profound essence in relation to its object, a depth that pertained both to the object’s intrinsic nature and the continuity of the act itself. For instance, thinking and knowing extended beyond merely apprehending a specific object to encompass the comprehension of the principle constituting that object. This mode of knowing is elucidated by the technical concept of noesis. Furthermore, knowing was not solely an epistemic endeavor but also entailed the possession of a set of values informed by this knowledge, thereby acquiring an ethical dimension. Over the course of history, however, this conception has undergone significant change, resulting in thought being reduced to a more constrained framework. This narrowing has yielded tangible outcomes in contemporary philosophy, such as analytic and positivist approaches. The aforementioned motif comprehensively encapsulates this transformation. Accordingly, the evolution of thought will be comparatively analyzed across three pivotal junctures—Ancient Greece, the Modern era, and the Contemporary period—to elucidate the nature of the narrowing phenomenon in its present form.