Une figure antique du logos et du mythos : Le labyrinthe.

In Antiquity, the labyrinth was not always regarded as a symbol of inextricable error. In fact, ancient culture contains labyrinths of failure and labyrinths of success: on the one hand, tragedy, and on the other hand, the epic. In the myths of Oedipus, Hercules, and Minos, the motif of the crossroads (a metonym of the labyrinth) is an emblematic example of choice and illustrates the philosophical fortune of this symbol. The image of the labyrinth does not underlie only one ethical reflection on the use of knowledge and power, on freedom and justice; it also includes an epistemological dimension related to the methodology of invention and the process which governs progress. The labyrinth ultimately appears a specular archetype of creative thought. It reflects the dynamic polarity of logos and mythos, revealing their patterns of renewal inside Western culture. More recently, under the influence of rationalism and classicism, the labyrinth was perceived as an exclusively negative image of error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]