The Power Of Myth By Joseph Campbell

In the book “The Power of Myth” by Joseph Campbell, there is much discussion on new mythology and a “demythologized” world. The idea that our culture needs a “new mythology” because we live in a “demythologized” world is inaccurate regarding our modern culture. We still have myths and rituals that we follow in our daily lives. There are many people that still respect the Earth the way the indigenous people did in the past, which shows there is a mythology that we follow today. We also still have rituals such as marriage, giving gifts to people that are experiencing a significant life event, standing for a judge, etc. Joseph Campbell repeats that our culture needs a “new mythology” but continues to contradict himself multiple times throughout

On page 10 of “The Power of Myth,” Campbell states “What we have today is a demythologized world.” He is saying that in our world today, there are not a lot of teachings or rituals that are based on mythology. He continues to talk about the number of students that come to his lectures about mythology and how there is a thirst for knowledge on that topic. Continuing the interview on page 8, Bill Moyers asks Campbell “What happens when a society no longer embraces a powerful mythology?” Campbell responded with “What we’ve got on our hands. If you want to find out what it means to have a society without any rituals, read the New York Times.” Campbell is saying that in our modern society, we don’t have a mythology and it is causing destruction and crime. His reasoning behind this is that because there are no rituals for young adults to follow, it is causing them to create their own harmful rituals. While this seems like a great argument, Campbell contradicts himself within the same chapter. On pages 14-15, Campbell talks about the various things we are doing that are based on mythology. He listed marriage, standing for a judge, and putting on a military uniform. He explained that in marriage, you transition into a married state from an unmarried state, which is a mythological ritual. He stated that standing for a judge is comparable to recognizing a “mythological character” because the judge wears the robes and begins to play a different role. Campbell used the same explanation for wearing a uniform as he did for standing for a judge, saying that when you put on a military uniform you are leaving behind your “personal life” and moving on to a different position in society. Campbell continued to contradict himself on pages 33-36 whilst talking about the symbolism and mythology behind the American seal and the