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Magical Arrows The Maori, the Greeks, and the Folklore of the Universe Gregory Schrempp Foreword by Marshall Sahlins New Directions in Anthropological Writing George F. Marcus and James Clifford, Series Editors Honorable mention for the Chicago Folklore Prize "A highly original and thought-provoking work." —Elizabeth Traube, Wesleyan University A fascinating and sophisticated exploration of cosmology, Magical Arrows connects the Western philosophical tradition with the cosmological traditions of non-Western societies, particularly those of Polynesia. Using the mythology and philosophy of the Maori of New Zealand as a counterpoint to Western thought, Schrempp finds a philosophical common denominator in the thought of the pre-Socratic philosopher, Zeno of Elea. Schrempp suggests that the paradoxes of Zeno, together with the philosophical speculations that they have historically inspired, contain sophisticated insights which are nevertheless general enough to form the foundations of a comparative cosmology. Schrempp suggests that perhaps the most noteworthy Zenoian insight is that paradox is intrinsic to cosmological speculation. But he points out that there are many other characteristics of Zeno's approach, including the strategy of juxtaposing concrete images to mathematical forms of representation, that reappear persistently in Western intellectual history. Schrempp proceeds through a series of juxtapositions—between Zeno, Kant, Lovejoy, and Lévi-Strauss, and between Western cosmologists and those from other cultures-to highlight subtle similarities and differences among intellectual traditions and to examine the conceptual apparatus of Western social science. Schrempp concludes that a meaningful comparative cosmology is possible and that the tradition of Zeno provides a propitious starting point for such a perspective. Gregory Schrempp is assistant professor of folklore at Indiana University. He has carried out extensive archival research in New Zealand on Maori traditions and mythology in preparation of this volume. Media & bookseller inquiries regarding review copies, events, and interviews can be directed to the publicity department at publicity@uwpress.wisc.edu or (608) 263-0734. (If you want to examine a book for possible course use, please see our Course Books page. If you want to examine a book for possible rights licensing, please see Rights & Permissions.)

May 1992 LC: 91-033076 BD 256 pp.   6 x 9 Paper $18.95 s ISBN 978-0-299-13234-7 Cloth $47.00 s ISBN 978-0-299-13230-9 ADD TO CART

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