Der 16. Weltkongress für Philosophie

Volume 2, 1983

Sektions-Vorträge I - Résumés des sections I - Section Papers I

Stuart D. B. Picken
Pages 1034-1041

Myth and Human Understanding

The paper argues from the premise that myth is diverse in purpose, intent, form and content to the conclusion that myth may not be irrelevant in a culture in which the paradigm of knowledge is the scientific hypothesis. By contrasting structural similarities and common features, it is claimed that the relationship between myth and scientific hypothesis should be conceived logically rather than chronologically. It is further suggested that far from being challenged, philosophy has an important and continuing role to fulfil since it stands logically midway between myth and science.