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Book: How to Do Things with Myths

Chapter: Taking Responsibility for the Concept of “Myth”

DOI: 10.1558/equinox.44972

Blurb:

Arriving at a definition of myth is a creative, constructive effort, not a passive act of discovery. Following Richard Rorty’s “pragmatist” approach to conceptualization, the success of such a definition depends on how well it fits the use to which we seek to out the concept. Beginning with a grasp of the ordinary, everyday meaning of myth as ‘story,’ what kind of story merits being called a “myth”?

Chapter Contributors

  • Ivan Strenski (ivan.strenski@ucr.edu - istrenski) 'University of California Riverside (retired)'