L’invention de l’invention : archéologie ou idéologie ?

Abstract

What means in the contemporary works of the humanities, the inflation of titles beginning with this ambiguous word “invention” ? It seems that an anthropology claiming having got rid of archaeological models praising “Greek inventors” would have to question the meanings of the paradigms of invention. But how can one get rid of an heurematographic archaeology as illustrated by the Altertumswissenschaft and the “Greek Miracle” paradigm ? While considering Gernet’s and Vernant’s use of “invention”, one may notice that they did not succeed in completely breaking up with a demiurgic and progressive interpretation of history. And if it is more evident in Loraux’and Detienne’s works that anthropology is aware of the self-referentiality of its methods, it may be shown that the project of a critical science of 'ideologies' cannot prevail as long as the promethean value of invention strengthens itself in the institution of contemporary research.

Keywords

• invention
• prôtos heuretès
• kainè mousikê
• ideology
• epistemology
• innovation