Symmetry: Matte-Blanco's theory and Borges's fiction

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalysis and Set Theory
• Literary Theory and Aesthetics
• Cognitive Science and Semiotics

Background:

• Freudian unconscious theory is reformulated using mathematical set theory.
• Symmetric logic is identified as the core characteristic of the unconscious.
• Jorge Luis Borges's literary works are analyzed for their thematic exploration of these concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how aesthetic experiences, like reading Borges, can broaden the understanding of symmetrical being.
• To analyze Borges's literary devices and themes as manifestations of bi-logic.
• To explore the reader's experience in creating meaning through symmetrical and asymmetrical interpretations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Matte-Blanco's theory of symmetric logic and bi-logic.
• Close reading of selected themes and stylistic devices in Borges's fiction.
• Examination of reader-response theory in the context of literary interpretation.

Main Results:

• Borges's literary techniques, such as allusions and character interchangeability, heighten reader awareness of resemblance over difference.
• These techniques dismantle chronology and distinctions, merging text with its referents.
• Readers experience heightened symmetry, leading to feelings of infiniteness, timelessness, and multidimensionality.

Conclusions:

• Aesthetic experiences, particularly through Borges's work, offer a pathway to a more expansive perception of symmetrical being.
• Borges's narrative strategies effectively illustrate bi-logic and the translation between symmetric and asymmetric states.
• The reader's engagement with Borges's stories fosters a unique appreciation for the interplay of symmetry and asymmetry in meaning-making.