Talk:Mythopoeic thought

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[edit] Thoughts on furthering the critics section

I think the criticism section should include a presentation of Leszek Kolakowski's arguments. He argues in his book "The Presence of Myth" that the mythical thinking never has "left" or "been left aside". Rather human thinking is always and inevitably mythical. (Sometimes less, sometimes more, though.)

Or as the amazon.com book description puts it: With The Presence of Myth, Kolakowski demonstrates that no matter how hard man strives for purely rational thought, there has always been-and always will be-a reservoir of mythical images that lend "being" and "consciousness" a specifically human meaning.

http://www.amazon.com/Presence-Myth-Leszek-Kolakowski/dp/0226450570/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202498666&sr=8-1

I'd do it myself, but I'm a bit too busy right now. Although, if no one else does it within next few months I'll get onto it eventually. :) Androg (talk) 19:29, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

Sounds good. Be careful, though. This article isn't just about "mythical thinking"; it's about a specific explanation for the origins of mythology. Basically, according to the Frankforts' theory of mythopoeic thought, ancient man didn't think in terms of fixed, necessary laws and, therefore, saw events as acts of god (rather than outcomes of natural processes). Make sure that Kolakowski is specifically criticizing the idea that mythopoeic thought has been abandoned. I haven't read Kolakowski; for all I know, he could simply be arguing that modern man still clings to mythical images or still feels moved by mythological themes. It's quite possible that modern man has abandoned mythopoeic thought even if he retains images and themes from mythology. However, you're the one who introduced Kolakowski, so I assume that you're the best judge of whether he's relevant. --Phatius McBluff (talk) 22:51, 8 February 2008 (UTC)