Analogy and consciousness in a historical perspective

Abstract

The article is dealing with presentattion of historical changes in the understanding of and the meaning of analogy from antiquity through the crisis of the analogical concept in medieval period to its presently prevalent meaning, which the term gained at the onset of renaissance and scientific revolution. With this as a frame of reference, the change of human consciousness in the same time period is mapped – mainly its growing intentionality and the ability of reflection of one’s own cognitive activity and consciousness. The proposition is outlined, that the change in understanding and meaning of analogy directly corresponds with the development of intentional consciousness. The characteristic features of fully developed intentional consciousness is the experience of separation of man from the world (of the inward subject separated from the outward object). In the second part of the article a synthetic view is presented, in which the arisen gap between the man and the world is bridged by considering their relationship as essentially analogical.