Man's Myths

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the reason for developing a myth is to understand the existing social order in terms of things that are familiar to the members of the society; myths are designed from experiences of the people. The author points out that the continuation of religious myth in the collective experience of mankind after developing scientific rational has presented anthropologists with a continuing dilemma. This paper explains that myth is a moral code, such as the story that delineates right and wrong or good and bad to those people who believe in and live by a specific myth.

Table of Contents
Personal "Needs" for a God Identity Myth
Myth Construction
Myth's Purpose
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Boyer also identified what he calls activation points around which the oral tradition is elevated to the level of a myth. The activation points for Boyer are the complex set of circumstances which men and women can experience as they mature. These events are often in need of an explanation that resides in an external locus of control. According to Boyer's research, these anthropological and sociological experiences trigger a specific physiological ethos in the brain, and the brain is primed to "look for" traditions which explain these experiences. It is by chance that the myth and a religious framework is the best framework to give these experiences a cohesive meaning."

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• Book Review # 146679 : "The Man Behind the Myths"

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