Skeptics in the minority?
These statements are not limited to just a discussion of urban legends. They are quite applicable to any critical, intelligent examination of the supporting thesis of a worldview.
Excepted from
Word Myths
Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends
David Wilton, 2004 ISBN 0-7394-5593-1
<<...people repeat these legends to bolster their beliefs about society or how they would like society to be.....We should treat them skeptically. Skepticism does not mean that we automatically dismiss such stories when we hear them, but rather we should examine the evidence objectively. We should not accept such stories at face value. the key is examining the evidence and not simply believing something because someone claims it is true.
...The results may be disappointing to some. They may lose an argument that supports their worldview......but the truth does not have to be boring. Skeptics do not have to be spoilsports. There are plenty of good linguistic tales that are not bunk.
...There are many ...gems to be found, all the more lustrous because they are true. Those of us who stand up and call for skepticism and reason know that there is little chance that we can stop the spread of these legends....
....In the end, whether these stories are true or whether they are false is not really the point. What is important is the process we use to evaluate them, that we engage the brains nature gave us and examine the evidence and arguments critically.>>
I contend that it does matter whether of not the stories are true or false. Consider how stories, myths, legends and propaganda have supported and justified actions by individuals and masses. A sampling of what I am refering to is:
Manifest Destiny and World Democratization
Aryan Superiority
History as Science through dialectical materialism
A Chosen People of God
Noble Savage concepts as ascribed to Native Americans
The Rapture Index and Millenial Movements
Mormonism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism... ad nauseum
Most of us continue to tenatiously cling to a worldview for which the supporting timbers are rotted through.
Excepted from
Word Myths
Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends
David Wilton, 2004 ISBN 0-7394-5593-1
<<...people repeat these legends to bolster their beliefs about society or how they would like society to be.....We should treat them skeptically. Skepticism does not mean that we automatically dismiss such stories when we hear them, but rather we should examine the evidence objectively. We should not accept such stories at face value. the key is examining the evidence and not simply believing something because someone claims it is true.
...The results may be disappointing to some. They may lose an argument that supports their worldview......but the truth does not have to be boring. Skeptics do not have to be spoilsports. There are plenty of good linguistic tales that are not bunk.
...There are many ...gems to be found, all the more lustrous because they are true. Those of us who stand up and call for skepticism and reason know that there is little chance that we can stop the spread of these legends....
....In the end, whether these stories are true or whether they are false is not really the point. What is important is the process we use to evaluate them, that we engage the brains nature gave us and examine the evidence and arguments critically.>>
I contend that it does matter whether of not the stories are true or false. Consider how stories, myths, legends and propaganda have supported and justified actions by individuals and masses. A sampling of what I am refering to is:
Manifest Destiny and World Democratization
Aryan Superiority
History as Science through dialectical materialism
A Chosen People of God
Noble Savage concepts as ascribed to Native Americans
The Rapture Index and Millenial Movements
Mormonism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism... ad nauseum
Most of us continue to tenatiously cling to a worldview for which the supporting timbers are rotted through.
posted by OinO at 2:44 AM
1 Comments:
Otto,
I contend that it matters if some of the stories are true, but I don't care if all of the myths are true.
I notice you have a link to a Joseph Campbell web site; so I assume you read a bit on his views on the return of the hereo, and other myths. The link doesn't work for me, but no matter.
Myths in Campbell's sense (I can't comment on the sense in which the quoted writer you included views myths) were presented in pretty sweeping and primal themes- their use by people was to define themselves, to incorporate within them the strengths of their gods, their 'familiars.' He was talking about real myths, worldviews that took several thousand years to be codified by oral and, sometimes, written tradition.
History as Hegelian dialectic, or Aryan master-races as used by Hitler were pretty short term, time-limited, culture specific examples of repressive political propaganda to serve specific political ends. Nazis were not "returning heroes" saving the fatherland, they were punk thugslooking to take over power and get rich.
They did, and then they too were destroyed.
The myths that I worry about being real are the myths with which we are deluged daily from TV/radio/and internet media. Whether it's CNN or FOX news, it's no more news than I'm an astronaut. It's carefully packaged fear, a product that apparently the American people have signalled they want to be inundated with so they can be under a maximum amount of stress at all times.
And almost none of it's news, and yet Americans make vital voting and other decisions on this foma every day of the week.
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