"A living myth remains largely unconscious for the majority. It is the reality, not the symbol. … Some people in every culture, however, see through or beyond the myth. … Those whose amphibious minds move both within and beyond the myth may be though of as outlaws or metaphysicians. Myth and metaphysics are related to each other in the same way that religion is related to theology. The mythical mind is unreflective. It lives unquestioningly within a horizon of the culture’s images, stories, rituals, and symbols, just as the religious person rests content within the liturgy and creedal structure of the church or cult. The metaphysical mind reflects upon the myth and tries to make it conscious. It plays with the stories and images and lifts the basic presuppositions about life into the light of consciousness. In this sense, metaphysics is the thinking person’s religion."
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Academics from the United StatesPhilosophers from the United StatesNon-fiction authors from the United StatesHarvard University alumniAuthors from the United States
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Sam Keen
Sam Keen (June 25, 1931 – March 23, 2025) was an American author, professor and philosopher who is best known for his exploration of questions regarding love, life, religion, and being a man in contemporary society.
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