Introduction
The fairy tale is not just a fantastic story, but a precise model of rationality. Dorota Bełtkiewicz proposes a formal-pragmatic reconstruction of these narratives, examining the fundamental conditions for understanding them. Instead of cataloging plots, the author analyzes fairy tales through the lens of two regimes: action oriented toward effectiveness and the pursuit of mutual understanding. Readers will discover how the four dimensions of rationality—truth, rightness, authenticity, and meaning—shape our perception of the world in both European and Arabic traditions.
Formal-Pragmatic Reconstruction: Ethical Dualism and the Topography of Initiation
Bełtkiewicz’s analysis shows that God and the Devil are operators of meaning that organize human fate. In the Arabic tradition, God provides an omnipresent framework for every act, and submission to His will directs the individual toward patience. In Europe, rationality is more often based on magic and symbolic technique. The Devil, meanwhile, tests the consistency of our claims—in Europe, he is often fallible and pragmatic, while in the Islamic world, his role is assumed by jinn embedded within the divine economy of trials.
Mother and stepmother polarize cultural patterns: from European jealousy over resources to the Arabic code of honor and lineage purity. This dynamic is inscribed in specific spaces. The forest and the desert are not mere backdrops but fields of initiation. The forest forces the reading of signs, while the desert intensifies the reference to transcendence. It is here that heroes learn to distinguish pure effectiveness from the moral recognition of the community.
Dreams, Death, and Animals: Oneiric Tools of Cognition and Media of Morality
Within the structure of the fairy tale, the dream serves a cognitive function—it is a mechanism for verifying meaning and legitimizing action. Death, in turn, is defined as a communal repository of ultimate knowledge. The formula "death is knowledge" suggests it is a moment of self-awareness that transcends the boundaries of the world. Animals become zoomorphic media of morality: birds carry hope, while the dog and the wolf embody normative boundaries—from ritual impurity in Islam to the defense of the community against aggression in Europe.
The numbers three and seven form the mathematical grammar of the plot. Three imposes a logic of gradation and procedural completeness (three trials), while seven symbolizes infinite abundance and wholeness. This arithmetic is not superstition but a precise notation of a process in which the hero must meet specific conditions to reach the final resolution.
Family and Religion: A Universal Model of Communicative Ethics
Family and religion constitute the horizon for justifying values. In the Arabic model, the clan guarantees security; in the European model, a deficit of maternal care forces individualization. The key difference lies between archetype and symbol: archetypes are identical as a priori forms of experience, but symbols reflect cultural flavor. In this way, the fairy tale implements a politics of meaning, serving moral education through the rhythm of transitions between motifs.
Ultimately, the fairy tale emerges as a universal model of communicative ethics. It allows for the coexistence of different cultures, provided they recognize shared forms of meaning. This structure reconciles vertical rationality (submission to transcendence) with horizontal rationality (autonomous action). Thus, the story becomes a dialogue between generations, building a foundation for a shared human experience across divides.
Summary
Fairy tales, though rooted in specific traditions, reveal a universal desire for meaning and understanding. Dorota Bełtkiewicz’s analysis proves that these ancient narratives are, in fact, advanced models of rationality that teach us how to coordinate actions in a complex world. In an era of technological efficiency, should we not return to fairy tales to rediscover the power of communal wisdom? Perhaps it is within them that we will find the key to building bridges between individual fate and collective identity.
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