Civilization and Beyond
A Metaconscious Mosaic Outline
All of science, all religion, and all philosophy, consist entirely of mythology, or mythological speculation – for the reason that, simply by virtue of being finite entities inhabiting a (speculatively) infinite universe,1 we find ourselves existing in an unknown, and unknowable context. In every "direction" we turn our attention in time and space, we find our universe disappearing over a very near horizon, beyond which we cannot see, and can only speculate. The finest granularity our finest instruments are able to resolve (e.g. "subatomic particles") may be "large" in relation to smaller elements still, lying beyond the reach of our highest resolving power. The most remote extra-galactic objects we are able to detect (e.g. "quasars") may be "near" in relation to objects more distant still. The earliest moment for which we are able to detect evidence (e.g. the "Big Bang") may have been "recent" in relation to cosmic events of which we have no conception.
These considerations will apply no matter how refined and penetrating our future instrumentation eventually becomes – unless, perhaps, we someday actually succeed in bringing "the outermost margin of the universe" within reach of our detailed inspection. That day has not yet arrived. If the universe is "in fact" infinite, as we speculate that it is, that day will never arrive, so long as we remain finite beings. If this is so, a) we will never be able to confirm it, and b) our context will forever remain an impenetrable mystery.
Without a clear understanding of the context in which we occur, our best analysis, even of what lies within our horizon, and within reach of detailed examination, is unavoidably speculative as well; for the meaning of any "fact" may be profoundly and unpredictably changed by a change in context. When their context is unknown, and possibly / probably not even imagined, the meanings and implications that follow from our "facts" are unknown and possibly / probably unimagined as well.
This is no criticism, either of science, religion, or philosophy. It simply points out something that is frequently overlooked by scientists, religionists, and philosophers: mainly that our most firmly founded "theories," "conclusions," "convictions," and "articles of faith" are founded at bottom upon mythological speculation in an unknown and (as far as we "know") unknowable context. This does not imply that our quest to understand our surroundings, and our place in them, is futile, vain, or trivial, or that there is nothing to be learned through observation and experience within the near horizon we daily inhabit. It merely highlights the often overlooked but unavoidable circumstance that everything we learn occurs within a context of profound and impenetrable mystery. One of any number of possible ways of "labeling" this mystery is to call it "the hands of the gods."
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A myth is couched in mystery, "in the hands of the gods," where a theory harbors pretentions, or ambitions of validation, which may eventually give it a place within the corpus of "The Truth." Once something has been recognized as "True," it is supposed to be a solidified, crystalized, permanent part of the landscape – although it is amazing how many recognized "Truths" turn out to be mutable and volatile after all, with the passage of time, or shifts in culture. (Well, it's not really amazing; for all so-called "Truths" are really myths too, for they can be nothing else.)2
Unpretending myths, however, are much more flexible than myths masquerading as "Truths." Myths are mutable and volatile by nature, and no one is surprised if a myth changes and grows over time, or even evaporates altogether, once it has outlived its usefulness. Also, myths are shaped in part by the gods themselves; or if you prefer, by the metaconscious process of "natural selection." There is no way to "prove" or "disprove" a myth; although, like theories, myths can be supported to varying degrees by the evidence of experience and rational analysis, and are most nearly "proven" when they are found to work in practice. Theories, I submit, as well as the entire rigid concept of "The Truth," are an integral part of Taker culture. Myths are a natural part of Leaver culture.3
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* Sources: The Gods & the Law of Life; The Metaconsciousness Myth.
1. Speculatively infinite, because we have no way of knowing for sure that the "universe," as we call it, is infinite. How could we know such a thing? We only know that it is "very big," and extends beyond where we can see, or our most penetrating instruments can reach, and retrieve data for our examination and analysis.
2. See The Gods & the Law of Life, specifically the section on Consciousness, Intelligence, and Creativity, for the genesis of the metaconsciousness myth; and the sections on Mythological Speculation and The Hands of the Gods for discussions of mythology. See also "Creation Myths," 11/5/00.
3. Leavers are those peoples who leave the Law of Life in the hands of the gods, and Takers are the single human culture who have decided to take the Law of Life into their own hands. After Daniel Quinn, Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure, Three Rivers Press, New York, 1999. See also Leavers and Takers, particularly the section on It's All in the State of Mind, where the differences between Takers and Leavers, and their consequences, are developed further; and Beyond Civilization or The Killer Meme, where Leavers and Takers are first mentioned in Civilization and Beyond.
Civilization and Beyond copyright 2004, 2005 by J. Harmon Grahn. Copying and redistribution, in whole or in part, are permitted in any medium provided this notice is included.