The article analyses a cognitive culture of Krzysztof Pomian, the well-known Polish (and also European) historian, philosopher, and anthropologist of culture. Thanks to Pomian we have recognized two fundamental metaphors of our historical thinking: abrasion and sedimentation. Thinking on the Past by abrasion is the same as to assume that history does not acting in the Present – there is only a collection of dead historical facts. In contrary, where we are thinking on the Past using the sedimentation metaphor - History is alive, works in Contemporaneity, changing our world. Pomian applies a two-variant model of metaphoric thinking in his main historiographic research studies, especially in Orde du Temps, and Sur l’histoire.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.