From Myth to Reason? : Studies in the Development of Greek Thought

It is commonly thought that Greek civilization underwent a transition from myth to reason. But what does this mean and how much truth is there in it? This text reconsiders the issues and examines how they can clarify broader debates about the cross-cultural viability of myth and reason/rationality.

It has often been asserted that Greek civilization underwent a transition from myth to reason. But what does such an assertion mean? And how much truth is there in it? Were the Greeks special in having evolved our sort of reason, or is that a mirage? In this book, some of the world''s leading experts on ancient Greek myth, religion, philosophy, and history reconsider these fundamental issues. Among the problems they explore are: the history of the Mythos/Logos opposition; myth and reason in practice; logic(s) of myth; intersections involving myth/philosophy, myth/history, myth/ethnography, and myth/technology. Some contributors are more sceptical than others about whether the myth/reason polarity has any future as a tool for the understanding of Greek society - or any society. But what they all agree on is that a reconsideration of the Greek case can help us to clarify much broader debates, for example the debate about the cross-cultural viability (or not) of myth and reason/rationality.