RS 100 Lecture 7: RS100 Lecture 7
Document Summary
Accounts for rise and fall of religion without supernatural causes. The encyclopedist ranked him with lock (who was one of the founding fathers of the enlightenment) fontenelle also impacted hume and comte. Wrote a book called origins of myths: attempted to explain the workings of the human mind, in one of its strangest creations mostly myths. Created the treatment of myths: origin of myth, evolution of myth, literary features, proper interpretation. Turned to the study of history to understand religion. Found people created similar myths in similar stages of development. Said origin of myths stems from peoples ignorance: thought myth is science, thought myths are earliest stages of philosophy and science. Thought myths endure because reverence (deep respect) of tradition (did not address how they change) Myths were turned into religion (failed to understand that myths are already religion) Herbert: religion is a philosophy of life to be legitimized. Herbert: myths are devolution from original revelation.
