Whether we call it myth, science, fiction, or the Bible, explanations for the origin of man and the universe have always been popular.
What is Myth?
While we have a general, shared sense that myths are stories shared by a group that are a part of their cultural identity, there is no completely satisfactory definition of the term myth. People contrast myth with science and religion. Usually, this comparison is unfavorable, with myth relegated to the area of lies.
Theories: Creation, Evolution, Big Bang
If we look at one of the ancient Greek creation stories, the world was originally Chaos. Like its namesake in daily life, this Chaos was an un-ordered, un-anything, not quite imaginable, shapeless state. From Chaos, Order suddenly appeared, and from conflict between Chaos and Order, everything else came into existence.
Questions to Consider About Chaos and Order
- What do you think the Greeks meant by chaos?
- Have you heard of chaos theory?
- Do you think it would be easier to conceive of chaos by means of a picture?
- What would this primeval "order" be like?
Allegory or Truth
Did the Greeks think of this creation story as literal truth? How would they know for sure when they weren't alive when it happened? Perhaps they extrapolated from their observations and powers of reasoning to construct an allegorical world view. In Did the Greeks Believe Their Myths? Paul Veyne writes:
"Myth is truthful, but figuratively so. It is not historical truth mixed with lies; it is a high philosophical teaching that is entirely true, on the condition that, instead of taking it literally, one sees in it an allegory."How different is this allegory of the emergence of the world from Chaos from the modern Big Bang Theory with its inexplicable components? To me, the answer is, "not much, if anything." Chaos and Order may be just another, allegorical way of describing the Big Bang. Instead of an explosive force originating out of nowhere, but coming from within the cosmic soup, the Greeks had a kind of primeval, disorganized and chaotic soup, with the principle of Order suddenly asserting itself. In addition, I suspect that people in the ancient world were as varied as they are today, with some believing the literal, some the allegorical, some something else entirely, and others never even considering the beginning of life.
What Is the Difference Between Myth and Science?
Questions closely related to the nature of myth are the existential "what is truth?" and "how do we know anything?" Philosophers and other thinkers have come up with such statements as "Cogito, ergo sum" 'I think, therefore I am', which may reassure us, but don't stipulate a reality that is the same for all of us. (For example, I think, therefore I am, but maybe you don't think or maybe your thinking doesn't count because you're a computer, for all I know.)
If this isn't immediately obvious, consider these questions about truth: Is truth absolute or relative? If absolute, how would you define it? Would everyone agree with you? If relative, wouldn't some say your truth is a falsehood?It seems fair to say that myth is not the same as scientific fact, but what exactly does even that mean?
Explanations of What Seems Magical or Supernatural
Maybe we should say that myth is like scientific -- not exactly knowledge, but -- theory. That would work for some myth, like the creation of the world out of Chaos. However, it won't work when we examine the supernatural stories, which appear to defy scientific knowledge.The story of Hercules (Heracles) grappling with the Antaeus, a chthonic giant, is a case in point. Every time Hercules hurled Antaeus to the ground, he became stronger. Clearly this is what we might politely call a tall story. But maybe there is scientific logic behind it. What if Antaeus had some sort of magnet (if you don't like the idea of a magnet, you can invent your own scenario) that made him stronger each time he hit the earth and weaker when held away from his power source? Hercules defeated another giant, Alcyoneus, only by pulling him far from his origin. The magnetic force of the earth was overcome in these examples by pulling far enough in any direction. [See Hercules the Giant-Killer.]
Or how about Cerberus, the 3-headed hell hound? There are two-headed people. We call them Siamese or Conjoined Twins. Why not three-headed beasts?
And, as far as the Underworld goes, some of the stories of the Underworld mention a cave at the western edge of the world that was thought to lead downwards. While there could be some scientific basis for this, even if there isn't, is this story any more a "lie" to be scoffed at than the novel/movie Journey to the Center of the Earth? Yet people dismiss such myths as lies created by primitive people who lack scientific knowledge -- or as lies created by people who haven't found the true religion.
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