We spoke about how mythology usually exists as a medium for conveying moral messages. Almost every ancient culture had a mythology, which could serve to instruct those in the culture about how to live their lives. In modern culture, however, the number of people who choose to live their lives without the aid of a guiding mythology or religion has been steadily increasing. Is this a bad thing? Without the help of mythology, how can people know how to live morally?
I think that mythology is not the only medium for morality. Those who choose to think about and construct codes of ethics based on philosophical discussion seem to do at least as well, in general, as those who gain their morality from religion or tradition. It is, I think, simply a difference in type, not quality. Gaining morals from mythology is comparable to getting morals from fiction; gaining them from philosophical discussion and real life is comparable to getting them from nonfiction. Both ways are valid, and can be effective.
Morality is just one dimension of what mythology expresses for a community.
ReplyDeleteI do not think there is any diminution of human dependence on mythology over time. There are, however, new mythologies -- different kinds of stories -- that don't go by that name but that play the same role, underpinning the meaning of people's lives. Please raise this topic in class, and I'll try to explain what I mean.