The Relevance of Pythagoreanism in the Poetry of Zambrano

Abstract

In this paper, we are interested in pointing out the importance of Pythagoreanism as a possible philosophical path to sustain Western thought, according to María Zambrano’s criteria. In her El hombre y lo divino, Zambrano questions the decisions that philosophy has adopted in its origin and proposes an integrative reason that is capable of including the feeling and the becoming of life in consideration of thought. From this perspective, we will point out the original contribution of Pythagoreanism, its dependence on the “sacred core,” and its expression through alternative forms of language that reflect perceived but not generated harmonies. We will highlight the Orphic basis of thought since its fundamental notions serve the meanings Zambrano prioritizes. We will also point out the consonances between Pythagoreanism and poetic reason, on which the author proposes a different way of thinking from current European systems.

Keywords

• Zambrano
• Pythagoreanism
• sacred core
• mythical language
• poetic reason