Reductionist Theories of Mythology (Cyberdisciple)

In my broad usage, the concept of ‘reductionist’ is inherent in all misinterpretation; you end up with less that the thing that’s being reduced.

We reduce “high” (altered state, analogies describing cognitive phen’y of loosecog state) to something else, and everything is considered by me to be “lower” than mystic-state cognitive phenomenology.

To misinterpret the considered-highest realm is inherently relatively reductionism.

Reductionist materialist scientistic rationalism flatland downward-projection: religious esoteric mythology’s ultimate referent is the physical, literal, material sun.

JESUS WAS A MUSHROOM 🍄

😵 😴

Article webpage:
Evaluating Theories of Mythology
Cyberdisciple
https://cyberdisciple.wordpress.com/evaluating-theories-of-mythology/ –

“Ancient Greek approaches to myth:

“Allegory – Physical:

Gods and heroes represent cosmology and elements of physical world.”

“19th-20th century approaches to myth:

“Myth as science: Myth is an explanation for the natural world. Read myth literally.

Myth is premodern/’primitive’ form of modern scientific explanation.

Variants within this framework. Creationism; Rationalizing; Tylor; Horton. Literal, ordinary-state, alien social psychology.

“Demythologizing:

Myth is expression of human experience of the world, of man’s experience as a moral agent.

Myth is symbolic, not literal description.

metaphorical, ordinary-state, no alien social psychology (myths speak to universal human experiences in the ordinary-state).”

“By Criteria:

Literal: Myth as science

Metaphorical: Demythologizing

Ordinary-State: Myth as science; Demythologizing

Alien social psychology: Myth as science

Open to moderns: Demythologizing

“Variants and Theorists:

“Myth as science:

“Creationism: myth is true science, a true explanation for natural phenomena (implies adherence to one cultural tradition or another, i.e. Genesis is *the* correct account).

“Rationalizing: strip myth of what does not fit with modern science; what remains is true.

Myth has a core of truth, some memory of an actual event, e.g. flood story has origins in an actual flood, with later additions; Trojan War legends based on actual war at site of Troy.

____

“myth is ‘primitive’ version of scientific theory.

Myth explains natural world, but poorly.

Decisions and actions of gods cause physical events.

myth and science incompatible.

‘primitives’ had ‘myth’, moderns have ‘science’.

We moderns should reject myth.

Myth must be understood literally because myth explains the workings of the physical world.

‘Primitives’ think like moderns, but less rigorously.

‘Primitives’ see same world as moderns, but conceive of it differently.

____

“Myth and pre-modern religion are coherent conceptual systems with internal logic and rules, just as science is for moderns.

Take pre-modern myth at face value, not symbolically.

Rejects use of word ‘primitive’.

Modern western thinking should not monopolize interpretation of other non-modern, non-western thinking.

“Demythologizing:

“Demythologizing.

Myth is philosophy.

Myth is symbolic of human experience of the world, not an explanation for the world.

Depiction of universal human condition.

Myth can be read literally, but should be read symbolically.

Describes mundane human experience.

This understanding available to all, ancient and modern.

But should be corrected to being about altered state experiencing, not mundane ordinary state experiencing.”

/ Cyberdisciple article webpage