The essays in this intriguing collection all discuss Claude Levi-Strauss' "Canonical Formula," which he created in 1955 as a means of anthropological investigation. This apparently mathematical formula relates myths to cultural artifacts, and is especially applicable to the study of mental processes. In his paper, Levi-Strauss argues that the similarities in the architecture of seemingly disparate groups suggests a cognitive pattern that is shared by humanity; a ..".geometry that human endeavour has envisioned."

The purpose of the work is to test the significance of the Formula,...