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Jung, amongst others, believed that myths are archetypal constructs that underpin the architecture of the mind, and are shared by all, which explains much about

Jung, amongst others, believed that myths are archetypal constructs that underpin the architecture of the mind, and are shared by all, which explains much about the uncanny cultural similarities across time and space.

dash2 6y ago
Right, but that would not explain why they are also similar to the actual facts. As an example, from the Stanford article: "... debate raged in the nineteenth century over Native American legends that seemed to contain ancestral memories of mastodons hunted until their extinction in the Ice Age 10,000 years ago. The possibility was supported by twentieth-century archaeological discoveries of mammoth kill sites that matched local tribal lore about elephant-like monsters."
Garlef 6y ago
I don't think we need this kind of hocus pocus to explain this. Frist candidate for an explanation: * Stories get passed on and some are surprisingly stable. Second candidate for an explanation: * The underpinnings of the architecture of the mind cause the same stories to (re?)surface everywhere. Let's use occams razor. (I don't claim this argument disproves the "theory" of archetypes. But we should not jump to conclusions when applying it out of context.).
- nobody9999 6y ago
  >* Stories get passed on and some are surprisingly stable. That's reasonable. While certainly far from proven, the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis[0] posits the possibility that the "Great Flood" story, which is part of many ancient traditions (and long predates Abrahamic[1] religions) may be from an oral tradition recounting a flood occurring at the end of the last glaciation in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. While that story certainly isn't anywhere near 100,000 years old, if true, it does add credence to the stability of oral traditions over long periods of time. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_deluge_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_deluge_hypothesis [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions Edit: Clarified hypothesized location of the Black Sea Deluge.
- Tistron 6y ago
  What is the difference between your second point and "archetypes"?
  - sibeliuss 6y ago
    Precisely
  - Garlef 6y ago
    The point of listing the second point was to paraphrase/summarize archetypes and contrast it to a more plausible explanation (the first point). Here's some hyperbole explaining why the first point offers the simpler explanation. To use the old south park meme: 1. The underpinnings of the architecture of the mind 2. ? 3. Stories resurfacing. vs 1. narrative tradition

dash2 6y ago

Right, but that would not explain why they are also similar to the actual facts. As an example, from the Stanford article: "... debate raged in the nineteenth century over Native American legends that seemed to contain ancestral memories of mastodons hunted until their extinction in the Ice Age 10,000 years ago. The possibility was supported by twentieth-century archaeological discoveries of mammoth kill sites that matched local tribal lore about elephant-like monsters."

Garlef 6y ago

I don't think we need this kind of hocus pocus to explain this. Frist candidate for an explanation: * Stories get passed on and some are surprisingly stable. Second candidate for an explanation: * The underpinnings of the architecture of the mind cause the same stories to (re?)surface everywhere. Let's use occams razor. (I don't claim this argument disproves the "theory" of archetypes. But we should not jump to conclusions when applying it out of context.).

nobody9999 6y ago
>* Stories get passed on and some are surprisingly stable. That's reasonable. While certainly far from proven, the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis[0] posits the possibility that the "Great Flood" story, which is part of many ancient traditions (and long predates Abrahamic[1] religions) may be from an oral tradition recounting a flood occurring at the end of the last glaciation in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. While that story certainly isn't anywhere near 100,000 years old, if true, it does add credence to the stability of oral traditions over long periods of time. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_deluge_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_deluge_hypothesis [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions Edit: Clarified hypothesized location of the Black Sea Deluge.
Tistron 6y ago
What is the difference between your second point and "archetypes"?
- sibeliuss 6y ago
  Precisely
- Garlef 6y ago
  The point of listing the second point was to paraphrase/summarize archetypes and contrast it to a more plausible explanation (the first point). Here's some hyperbole explaining why the first point offers the simpler explanation. To use the old south park meme: 1. The underpinnings of the architecture of the mind 2. ? 3. Stories resurfacing. vs 1. narrative tradition