HUM-8 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Theogony, Liminality
Document Summary
Aetiology of the current stage of the human condition, i. e. , life as we know it (sacrifice) Structure vs. process (myth explains structure through a process. It"s the god"s world/cosmos, and we just live in it. Result of p story: fate of p, yes, but also life as we know it. Story integrates hbs into world of gods. Defines human existence re the gods ( god centred pov) New lifestyle: age of iron: disease, toil, scarcity, conflict. P made us mortal, z made us sexual. Sacrifice (religious observance), fire & tech, gender (marriage & family) The need we have for paternity (sexual reproduction) and marriage marks hb"s fall into nature* Nb: for greeks, society is not = culture per se, but rather = a mediation between nature and culture (you have just enough culture and just enough nature, society mediates between the two) A golden mean: just enough culture & just enough nature too much culture: gods too little culture: animals.
