This paper focuses on the relationship between Derrida’s metonymy of “eating well” and the question of the animal in animal studies through the concept of the carnist a priori. For Derrida, since the interiorization of the other cannot be avoided, the question of how to relate to the other should be rethought according to the metonymy of “eating well.” However, the metonymy of “eating well” is conditioned by a horizon of questioning I propose to call the carnist a priori. The concept of the carnist a priori helps us identify the prevalent dilemma of extermination or assimilation that is commonly found in the discourses of animal studies and veganism. My aim in this paper is to identify and diagnose the carnist a priori to open up a different field of questions.
This article analyzes how the Rarámuri-pagótuame – who constitute the vast majority of the Rarámuri population in Mexico’s Sierra Tarahumara but live in extreme geographical dispersion – articulate a symbolic system that transcends technical reductionism. Drawing on Ernst Cassirer’s symbolic forms, it argues that the foundation for symbolic relationships is vulnerability, not a flaw to be overcome. The study asserts that the awí (the Rarámuri dance) is a fundamental symbolic form through which the body has spiritual presence. Through this kinetic practice, the Rarámuri shape space, time, and the cosmic order, and transform biological fragility into spiritual flourishing. By challenging the disembodied scientific symbol, this research demonstrates that dance is a legitimate form of embodied knowledge, rooted in the rhythmic, communal, and cosmic responsibility of the dancing body.
My aim in this paper is to examine, from the perspective of the philosophy of culture, the role that fire plays within the evangelical worldview. My analysis will focus on the sermons of the influential 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon. I wish to argue that this material shows that, for evangelicalism, fire is interpreted as an object that allows for direct knowledge of certain attributes of God and the Gospel. Finally, I will attempt to demonstrate that this is an interpretation shaped by a cultural and historical framework that explains the way in which evangelical communities understand and experience the world.
