Are Myths Valuable?

[Anomalocaris]

Usable truth in the sense that when the truth is given it comes with means of establishing that it is the truth.

Otherwise the truth is not useable because it is not distinguishable from nontruth.


The point is myth by nature does not in general provide usable truth, in fact it often come with mechanism for obfuscating which of itself is true and which not.

[EgoDeath]

Once again, we can look at a myth now and realize that only bits of it were true. It doesn't mean that they knew that, or didn't know that.

I can slip some raisins into a bag of chocolates and give it to you. You still received some raisins, even if you didn't realize you received a couple raisins. The raisins can still be useful to you; they provide sustenance and nutrition, and even if the chocolate is, nutritionally, not so great for you. And sure, the chocolates will still give you some calories and potentially some energy, so they may not be entirely harmful either. But in a bag of mostly bad, you received some good, even if you don't know it.

You seem to be missing the point entirely, or are just being incredibly nit-picky.

[Alan V]

Usable truth in the sense that when the truth is given it comes with means of establishing that it is the truth.

Otherwise the truth is not useable because it is not distinguishable from nontruth.


The point is myth by nature does not in general provide usable truth, in fact it often come with mechanism for obfuscating which of itself is true and which not.

This is exactly right.  If we can tell what is true and what isn't in a myth, then we don't need the myth to begin with.  And if we can't tell, and turn to the myth, we are merely confused by it.

[EgoDeath]

Usable truth in the sense that when the truth is given it comes with means of establishing that it is the truth.

Otherwise the truth is not useable because it is not distinguishable from nontruth.


The point is myth by nature does not in general provide usable truth, in fact it often come with mechanism for obfuscating which of itself is true and which not.

This is exactly right.  If we can tell what is true and what isn't in a myth, then we don't need the myth to begin with.  And if we can't tell, and turn to the myth, we are merely confused by it.

Correct. This is why we shouldn't use myths in 2019

[Alan V]

Once again, we can look at a myth now and realize that only bits of it were true. It doesn't mean that they knew that, or didn't know that.

I can slip some raisins into a bag of chocolates and give it to you. You still received some raisins, even if you didn't realize you received a couple raisins. The raisins can still be useful to you; they provide sustenance and nutrition, and even if the chocolate is, nutritionally, not so great for you. And sure, the chocolates will still give you some calories and potentially some energy, so they may not be entirely harmful either. But in a bag of mostly bad, you received some good, even if you don't know it.

You seem to be missing the point entirely, or are just being incredibly nit-picky.

The question isn't whether you're putting raisins into a bag of chocolates, it's whether you're putting raisins in a bag of dead birds.

[EgoDeath]

Once again, we can look at a myth now and realize that only bits of it were true. It doesn't mean that they knew that, or didn't know that.

I can slip some raisins into a bag of chocolates and give it to you. You still received some raisins, even if you didn't realize you received a couple raisins. The raisins can still be useful to you; they provide sustenance and nutrition, and even if the chocolate is, nutritionally, not so great for you. And sure, the chocolates will still give you some calories and potentially some energy, so they may not be entirely harmful either. But in a bag of mostly bad, you received some good, even if you don't know it.

You seem to be missing the point entirely, or are just being incredibly nit-picky.

The question isn't whether you're putting raisins into a bag of chocolates, it's whether you're putting raisins in a bag of dead birds.

Use whatever placeholder you that makes you comfortable. It doesn't mean there weren't objective bits of truth in myths. Even if the people hearing the myths didn't know they were there. This is why, like I said, we shouldn't use myths in the modern day. There's no reason and it will potentially do more harm than good.