Logomorphism

Projecting Modern Consciousness Onto Ancient Minds

Abstract

Owen Barfield believed that human consciousness has undergone significant changes over the course of history, and that those who fail to recognize these changes, or fail to correctly discern the nature and trajectory of these changes, are prone to the fallacy of projecting their own consciousness onto other, usually older states of consciousness. This fallacy, which especially threatens interpreters of ancient texts, is what Barfield called "logomorphism." In this essay, I examine passage in which Barfield uses the term "logomorphism" in order to justify and expand upon the general description offered above, and to show how the concept of logomorphism is integral to Barfield’s thought.