Myths, Philosophy, and Knowledge: A Deep Dive
Myths: Exploring the Origins of the World
Myths are fantastic stories, full of metaphors, symbols, and profound meanings. These symbolic narratives explain the origin of the world and answer fundamental questions about existence. They represent the earliest form of history, often featuring animals. The characters in myths are gods, heroes, or supernatural beings who act arbitrarily. Myths reflect the social structures of their time, responding to the human need for knowledge and problem-solving. The term ‘logos’ denotes a reasoned language through which we explain things—a language of knowledge that expresses rationality.
Different Approaches to Knowledge
The Greeks developed different modes of understanding: philosophy and science. Philosophy, unlike science, doesn’t claim to be an absolute science. While it acknowledges scientific data and results, it considers factors beyond the data. Religion, on the other hand, is a subjective belief system based on revealed truths and sacred texts, not on reason and rational discourse like philosophy. Literature invents narratives and characters without a basis in reality. It’s a product of human imagination, present in all cultures. Some literary creations address fundamental questions, similar to philosophy, but without proposing a rationally grounded discourse.
Creationism and Fixism
Creationists maintain that divine intervention justifies the existence of the world and its diverse species. God created the world, living beings, and placed humans on a higher plane than other creatures. Fixism argues that species arose from a single act of creation at a specific moment and remain identical to their initial form. Fixism doesn’t allow for the appearance or disappearance of species, or any modification of their characteristics.
Emic vs. Etic Perspectives
An emic perspective is a product of culture, arising from enculturation. It views one’s own practices and beliefs as correct and legitimate. An etic perspective views a culture from the outside, attempting to maintain objectivity.
Knowledge and Language
Two theories posit that thought precedes language: Aristotle believed that thought is a separate activity, prior to language, which serves as a conventional system to refer to objects. Kant argued that thought wouldn’t exist without language, as an individual’s learning process involves acquiring linguistic skills.
Formal and Empirical Sciences
Formal sciences (logic and mathematics) deal with abstract objects not observable by the senses. They are universal, necessary, and find consistency within the coherence of reason. Empirical sciences (physics, biology, etc.) begin with observation and provide information about the world. They are not universal or necessary but are generalizations based on experience. Social sciences focus on human events, characterized by intentionality. In these sciences, the observer and the observed are intertwined, resulting in less generalization, prediction, neutrality, and objectivity.
The Scientific Method
The scientific method is an inductive and hypothetical-deductive procedure. It begins with formulating hypotheses and deducing simpler, testable statements. The elements include: 1) Observation of phenomena; 2) Hypothesis formulation based on prior theories, reason, imagination, or coincidence; 3) Deduction of consequences from the hypothesis; 4) Testing through controlled experiments; 5) Formulation of laws based on validated predictions; 6) Construction of theories.
Metaphysics: Exploring the Nature of Reality
Metaphysics studies the fundamental features of reality and being. Classical metaphysics aimed to describe the common denominator of reality through abstraction. It sought knowledge of a transcendental type, focusing on traits that transcended specific beings. Metaphysics analyzes the first principles of reality, seeking the root of existence. It aims to overcome individual differences and considers human reality as a fundamental reference.
Beauty, Sublime, and Ugliness
A work of art is guided by the intuition of beauty, the same intuition that allows us to perceive beauty in the world. Aesthetic intuition is an intellectual and emotional experience. Objectivism posits that beauty is inherent in things, while subjectivism argues that beauty is a feeling projected by humans. The sublime inspires awe and magnifies the human being. Ugliness disrupts the sense of beauty, revealing a brutal world and the possibility of a different kind of beauty.