The Mythic Potential of Evolution

This article focuses on therelationship between science and myth. Its author (1) suggests that the theory of evolutionpro-vides the most powerful mythic structure for our times; (2) points out the problems that arisefrom the fact that, historically, evolution became yoked to the earlier concept of m...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2000
In: Zygon
Year: 2000, Volume: 35, Issue: 1, Pages: 25-38
Further subjects:B Cultural Evolution
B myth system
B directive function
B explanatory function
B reflectiveconsciousness
B evolutionarymyth
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Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:This article focuses on therelationship between science and myth. Its author (1) suggests that the theory of evolutionpro-vides the most powerful mythic structure for our times; (2) points out the problems that arisefrom the fact that, historically, evolution became yoked to the earlier concept of material,technological “progress”; (3) argues for an interpretation of evolution that is basedon religious and psychological models of human development; and (4) proposes that such aninterpretation, in which personal and social growth is seen as the possible outcome ofevolutionary forces, may act as a corrective to a myth based on material progress.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contains:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/0591-2385.00257