Σύμβολου: An attempt toward the early origins, 1 Giuseppe Iurato University of Palermo, IT E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract. This is the first of a two-part paper in which I would like to propose some possible hypotheses on the early origins of symbolic function, which is the most typical feature of human being, based on disavowal mechanism. Briefly recalling the main stages of the history of symbolism, it will be possible to lay out many of its theories within the framework that we wish to outline with this work, this first part of which is mainly concerned with the basic psychodynamic notion of disavowal and its possible applications, above all in regard to fetishism. One of the main aims of this paper is try to clarify the vexata quæstio on symbolism, its nature and origins. Our original motivation for this comes from mathematics and its role in the sciences: following Eugene P. Wigner (1960), how does one explain the effectiveness1 of this formal and abstract language in natural sciences, like physics? The history of mathematics unfortunately comprises many cases of great mathematicians who have had alternating severe psychotic states with moments of normality and that, out of respect of them, we do not quote here.2 Also recently, specialized research literature has confirmed the existence of a certain correlation between disorders belonging to schizophrenic spectrum (in short, SDS) and mathematical skills and performances3. Now, mathematics intimately relies on symbolic and segnic function, so that it may shed light on these typical human features. Due to this, we would like to put forward the hypothesis according to which the symbolic function might be the simple outcome of the dialectic interplay between two concomitant Ego’s subagencies always present in every human being which, in turn, would be the outcome of an Ego’s splitting mainly according to the last 1938 Freudian thought based on disavowal mechanism4 and supported by the thoughts of other authors, above all H.