A Philosophy of Political Myth

by Chiara Bottici

• ISBN13: 9780521182751
• ISBN10: 0521182751
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-08-05
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

In this book, originally published in 2007, Chiara Bottici argues for a philosophical understanding of political myth. Bottici demonstrates that myth is a process, one of continuous work on a basic narrative pattern that responds to a need for significance. Human beings need meaning in order to master the world they live in, but they also need significance in order to live in a world that is less indifferent to them. This is particularly true in the realm of politics. Political myths are narratives through which we orient ourselves, and act and feel about our political world. Bottici shows that in order to come to terms with contemporary phenomena, such as the clash between civilizations, we need a Copernican revolution in political philosophy. If we want to save reason, we need to look at it from the standpoint of myth.

Table of Contents

Introduction

A Genealogy of Myth:

Mythos and logos

The biblos and the dialectic of the sacred logos

Scientific rationality and the dialectic of the enlightenment

The Need for Myth:

Myth and meaning

Approaching myth

Naming the unknown, grounding significance

Political Myth:

Myth and the critique of political reason

Classical theories of political myth

Political myth, ideology, and utopia

Myth and Political Identity:

Myth, historical narratives and the social imaginary

Myth and identity

Political myths today: the extraordinary and the banal

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