Philosophy, Myth, Religion

¶ … human beings have attempted to make sense of their world. Being creative creatures, this attempt often takes the form of stories and myths on the basis of religion and mythology. For the more rational mind, philosophy has played an important role to think about and explain the world to oneself, one's students, and one's children. For me personally, philosophy has played the most important part to make sense of the world, the people, and the things that share my life.

This is not to say, however, that mythology and religion do not also play a role in such attempts. I believe that today, philosophy is the most important of the humanities that can be used to impose a sense of structure and sense on the world, history, and current events. Philosophy has arisen not based upon an existing system of story telling or myth, but rather as a result of rational thinking.

In this way, it provides an immediate platform for thinking about current morality, law, ways of living, and so on. When thinking about an issue such as the death penalty, for example, philosophy provides a direct link between the debate and the issue, rather than using symbolism, faith, or myth to offer explanations on the subject.

As a result, current issues such as politics, law, education, and nearly all areas of employment and management respond to philosophy as a means of working out how relationships among human beings work and how this can be applied to achieve a more effective way of living and working. As mentioned, this is not to say that mythology does not have a significant place in current society. Generally, the idea of "myth" conjures ancient stories written by ancient authors such as Plato and Homer.

These myths have survived the centuries to entertain us even today, and even in modern types of story telling such as film and games. These, in turn, serve to help their audience think not only about strategy when games are played, but also about what is important in life. The film "Troy," for example had as its central the types of longevity that might be achieved by raising a family as opposed to what might be achieved by great heroic deeds. Achilles makes his choice based upon this philosophy.

The audience is entertained not only by the special effects and fighting scenes of the film, but also by considering the sacrifices a person would be willing to make for certain rewards. Modern mythmaking is not, however, only based upon ancient myth. Each generation tells its own stories via books, film, games, and other media forms. These "new" myths provide their audience with new ways of thinking and with new bases for philosophizing about how life and the world work.

In such a way, myth and philosophy work hand-in-hand to accomplish the same goal. Much like myth, religion today has become somewhat pliable. In addition to the ancient religions like Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, there has been a more recent return to the even more ancient pagan religions. Furthermore, many today have begun to adhere to a new type of religion that recognizes the unity of all things. This type of religion is based upon philosophy rather than a specific prophet, religious leader, or mystical event.

Religion today is open to far more choice than has been.