Lewis Vs. Peterson: Is Myth Truth Or Fantasy?

Among the most persuasive expositors of Christianity in the 20th century was C.S. Lewis. Being among the most persuasive expositors of the Bible in the 21st century is Jordan Peterson. Lewis was a books professor who explained Christianity to secular audiences, today seeks to describe the Bible while Peterson is a professor of psychology who, the stories of Genesis especially, with techniques that resonate with secular audiences. Both Peterson and Lewis appreciate the billed power of myth. But what’s “myth” exactly?

It’s an ambiguous term sometimes used to mean an enjoyable but silly tale naive people composed to describe what they did not understand. We’re able to refer to this misconception as narrative theoretical ignorance. Myth, in this sense of the word, is of its very nature opposed to facts, technology, and truth. But the term is also used to describe a narrative, poetic embodiment of deep insight for individual living.

We could call this myth as narrative useful wisdom. Myth in this sense goes beyond the verifiable empirically, but is not against the known facts found by technology. Myth as narrative practical wisdom embodies what is important to us, and what’s important for us goes beyond what can be empirically verifiable. As Peterson puts it, “In the mythological world, what matters is what’s important.

• A reaction to skin care products
• Wear sunscreen throughout the day. Retinoid lotions make your skin layer extremely susceptible to sun harm
• Shooting (check)
• Distribute colors evenly

The world is manufactured out of what counts, not of matter. The world as looked into by science will not give us enough information to act in the world. Science functions something similar to a metal detector. A metal detector is extremely helpful for finding an engagement ring lost in the fine sand.

But a metal detector is not what’s needed if a guy is deciding whether to give an engagement ring to his girlfriend or for the girlfriend in deciding whether to accept the ring. Inasmuch as we must react in the world, we embody a view in what is valuable and what is not. “Everybody acts out a myth,” says Peterson, “but hardly any people know very well what their myth is.

You should know what your misconception is, because it may be a tragedy, and perhaps you don’t want to buy to be. Every culture has its myths because every culture embodies characteristic patterns of action. Inasmuch as there’s a distributed individual character, we’d expect these stories to talk about commonalities.

“Because we’re all human being and because most of us discuss the same natural platform,” Peterson clarifies, “a platform that we share with animals to a big degree even, we tend to interpret the world in very similar ways. Those interpretations are expressed in tales often. We can find similarities between Christian stories and pagan stories therefore, between narrative practical wisdom as articulated by the kids of Abraham and narrative practical wisdom as articulated by the children of Homer.