15I nº18Medieval Cities, Heresy, Church and the Mutual Aid: first approach to the interpretation of Kropotkin +

Por Jordi Maíz Chacón

University of Balearic Islands

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The contributions of Piotr Kropotkin to the field of evolution sparked a significant debate in the scientific community in the late 19th century. His perception of cooperation as a mechanism for overcoming obstacles and adapting to the environment raised new perspectives also in the social sciences. The Russian philosopher considered that his analysis of biology could also be applied to the historical study of societies. In this way, he argued that in the medieval period, as well as in other periods, mechanisms of self-improvement and self-defense against the powers of the time had been produced. Furthermore, as this text highlights, Kropotkin addressed the emergence of heresies that posed a rupture with the prevailing order