A WORLD OF OVER-BELIEFS: THE STATUS AND FUNCTION OF MYTH IN TWENTIETH CENTURY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT
Abstract
This dissertation is a study of the use of myth as a form of political and social thought in the writings of three twentieth century thinkers: Henri Bergson, Sigmund Freud, and Georges Sorel. It is based on an understanding of myth as a form of knowledge and not on an assessment of any particular myths that might be present in the works under consideration. The definition of myth employed throughout is rooted in William James's analysis of belief and in the writings of Ernst Cassirer on myth. The argument of the work is that myth has an internal logic that is independent of the content of any specific myth. The logic of myth enables it to be employed as a mechanism of social control and manipulation, as in the cases of National Socialism and Fascism, once the logic has been understood. To use myth as a method of social philosophy is to invite conscious manipulation of political and social conditions. The potentials of the logic of myth are illustrated through analyses of the function of myth in the total work of the writers under consideration. Their use of myth can be made intelligible, although it cannot be justified according to their own standards of judgment.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Political science
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