Are Myths Valuable?

[Belacqua]

They are not as concerned with the way things are, as they are with the way things out to be. They're less concerned with objective facts of reality, and more concerned with being, how we live in this world of ours. Less interested in questions of finding ways to survive, and more interested in finding something to live for. 

This is key, I think.

Remember that part in the Phaedrus where the title character and Socrates are walking along in the countryside. Phaedrus asks if this is the spot where the wind god abducted a girl, and Socrates says no, it's over there. Then Phaedrus asks if Socrates believes the myth is true. 

Socrates says well, maybe it's true, or maybe a windstorm knocked the girl down, or maybe something else. He says he leaves that to experts, and asks instead what he can learn of himself from myths. I find this significant. 

It's reported that Socrates was in natural philosophy when he was younger -- like what we'd call science today. But he decided that science doesn't mean much if we're bad people, and he chose to work on that instead. (oversimplifying here) So investigating the myth of the wind god is for others -- they can test windspeeds and look at weather records and conduct tests -- but he'll stick with humanity. 

I find that Bible literalists don't grasp this kind of thing very well. Both literalist Christians and the atheists who hate them treat myths as science, when the difference was well known a long time ago. Ancient people were often smarter than we are. 

I think there's a variety of beliefs some atheists operate on, that resemble myths, regardless if they are true or not, such as the view atheism is a matter of honesty and truth, and religion as delusions, and untruths. The view of disbelief as something worthy of being spread, encouraged endorsed, to rid ourselves of the stains of religion. The God Delusion, that End of Faith,  the underlying motivations that are being peddled, the sort of heroic scientist, the idea of objective man, the removed observer, observing reality for what it truly is, are all parts of this mythology. It's not all the mere expressions of facts, but the selling of a story, a narrative however loosely formed it may be.

Hear hear. 

Though this may be a slightly different kind of myth than what Vulcan is addressing here (in the sense that's it's a false belief rather than a symbolic story) it is a damaging fiction. It has its own heroes and villains, and historical facts seem barely to be tolerated. 

Trying to get past such a myth with those who believe it is tough. I've learned a lot about how people think by discussing this stuff.

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I can't think of a single example of a myth which could stand for a truth, independent of humanity.  Does anyone have any examples?

Instead, certain bits of mythology can make good metaphors for human psychology: flying too close to the sun, falling in love with one's own reflection, being held prisoner in a maze, and so on.  Myths are not about the world, they are about us -- when they are not just pure storytelling.

Yeah, I don't think myths are meant to operate independent of humanity. They are about us.