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The Power of Myth

5 stars (Thoroughly enjoyed) - Wonderful audio presentation of the Bill Moyer interview with Joseph Campbell. We originally checked it out from the library for a road trip, but just had to have our own copy. Listened to it twice on a recent cross-country road trip. 3 stars (Amazing Mythological Comparisons) - This is written in an "interview" form. I probably would get more out of the DVD format. It has very interesting comparisons of our life to mythology. Although very interesting, some ideas seem a little far-fetched. 4 stars (Intriguing, important but sometimes contradictory) - In our current secular culture where everything is de-mythologized, this is an important work. Campbell shows how the existential angst and meaninglessnes of modern toil is inextricably linked with our devaluation of mythology in the 21st century. From a philosophical point of view I especially admired the colourful way in which Campbell accounted for the dualism of the human predicament eg. In the Garden of Eden fall from unity into the knowledge of "good and evil". Buddhist conceptions of duality were also well integrated. However, in parts I found Campbell's message somewhat contradictory. Especially concerning the gnostic view that the material world is "bad", and the eternal world of the spirit, our real home. In some instances he seems to support this gnostic view, in others he wants us to embrace the tactile reality we find ourselves in, submerging ourselves in its goodness. Perhaps I just misunderstood. I would welcome enlightenment from fellow readers. Perhaps the greatest "take-away" for me was the value of investing myth into your everday world. As the Postmodern philosopher Rorty said: there is no true view of the world (even the scientific one), only a view which is the most useful. Personally I often find the meaninglessness of the materialist view pretty useless (for me, anyway), and a view rich with myth and mystical connotation might be infinitely more livable....
Anchor :: Philosophy & General :: Campbell :: Joseph :: United States :: Sociology of Religion :: Sociology :: Religious :: Religion historians :: Religion :: Philosophy :: Mytholo :: The Power of Myth