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The Myths We Live By
 
 

The Myths We Live By (Paperback)

by Mary Midgley (Author) "We are accustomed to think of myths as the opposite of science ..." (more)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (10 Jun 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0415340772
  • ISBN-13: 978-0415340779
  • Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.7 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 240,048 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Myths We Live By, by moral philosopher Mary Midgley, is a collection of articles dealing with the importance of symbolism in all our thought and the subsequent need to take our imaginative life seriously. Myths are not lies, she claims, they are not diverting stories, nor do they contrast with something apparently more solid such as "objective scientific truth". Myths and symbols are more like the things we think with. They suggest particular ways of interpreting the world.

Those familiar with Midgely's excellent Science and Poetry will recognise a continuing interest in how some of our most powerful myths (the myth of the social contract, of social atomism, of progress) are understood via the metaphorical light of recent technologies-—the telescope, the microscope, the computer—-in ways that are no longer useful to our present needs. The familiar contrastive ways of thinking (hard/soft, higher/lower, mind/body, inside/outside, heaven/earth, appearance/reality, objective/subjective, science/poetry) useful as they have been, can also be the prison-houses of thought, keeping us bound to one of the most powerful and misleading myths of all--the myth of science as omnicompetent method.

When thinking about Mary Midgley it pays to compare her with Richard Dawkins. Dawkins approaches his subject with something like cosmic awe. He is the poet-priest of science who writes with an irresistibly powerful appreciation of the wonder and poetic beauty of nature. But Midgeley takes issue with just the sort of scientist-as-priest he might be: the sort of person who thinks that "science is the only way to know the real world", that evidence-based beliefs are the only ones worth having, that religious beliefs are cowardly and irrational and that science is the "hard" king of the disciplines.

Midgley, by contrast, maps culture in an entirely different way. She shows us that there are different ways of looking at the world, different sources of knowledge that all have their place depending on what it is we want to know. Midgley shows us a way to end the contest of the faculties without giving the victory to one discipline or another and this makes her one of the most important thinker-about-thinking philosophers in the country. In Midgley's map of the intellectual landscape there are no priests and the world looks a more interesting place because of it. Try comparing Dawkins' discussion of science and romantic poetry (Unweaving the Rainbow) with any of Midgley's recent offerings. --Larry Brown --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"An elegant and sane little book. Unusually for a philosopher, Midgley has a superb ear for the use and misuse of language."
-Edward Skidelsky, New Statesman
"She has, perhaps, the sharpest perception of any living thinker of the dangerous extremism that lurks behind so much contemporary scientistic discourse ... Merely as anthologies of contemporary folly, Midgley's books are essential reading ... we have Mary Midgley among us. We should pay attention and be grateful."
-Brian Appleyard, The Sunday Times


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We are accustomed to think of myths as the opposite of science. Read the first page
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking stuff, 6 Sep 2004
This review is from: The Myths We Live by (Hardcover)
This book is about myths about, among others, science, about what is scientific and what is not. It describes how many of our thought-patterns are still in the mode set by Enlightment and Descartes. It explains how the industrial age modified these thought-patterns and where they go all wrong. It is not that our thought-patterns would all be based on myhts, it's just that we have to realise when they can be applied and when not.
Like some other books of Midgley that I've read, this is a clearly, carefully and elegantly written opus. It is an enjoyable read, like reading prose, even though it is sometimes rather difficult and requires a lot more time. Her use of language is colorful and elegant, simply brilliant. There are not many writers of non-ficition that can excel her use of the english language.
However, she has a tendency to critizes other scientists and fields of science rather strongly, which sometimes goes a bit over the top. When argumented properly it is well-warranted, but at times the arguments seem to defy my logic and at times the logic is incomplete. If they are opinions, then she should state them as such. But on the other hand, I have found that the more her arguments annoy me, the more I start to think about these things. I am, therefore, almost led to believe that her style is a carefully laid scheme, deviced to lead the readers to think about this stuff by themselves. At least I have. And if a book is thought-provoking, it doesn't much matter if you agree with its opinions or not. It is good anyway.
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