Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
Myths: Narratives Regarding Death, Diseases, and Body Practices in Different Cultures and Times
So far in this class, we have covered many myths that revolve around certain deities and mythological creatures, but what about the myths that regard matters as simple as life and death? This week, my group’s discussion revolved around the narratives of myths surrounding death and disease and the common symbolism used within these narratives.…
-
Modern Myths Surrounding Death & Disease
This week I decided to lead my group exploration to include myths from the past and give them the opportunity to focus on more modern examples as well. Topics of conversation ranged from current topics which included the COVID-19 pandemic, Alzheimer’s, and Human Sexuality to more historical myths including the Black Death and Leprosy. With…
-
Myths: Death, Disease and the Afterlife
The Myths around Death and Disease This week our group discussed the mythologies surrounding death and disease. The myth that came up a lot surrounded Greek Mythology and Zeus. Zeus was a powerful God in Greek mythology and he symbolizes power. One myth that was discussed in our group that I found particularly…
-
Mythic Narratives Focused on Death and Disease
In week IV, my group explored myths about death and disease from a wide range of traditions including Hinduism, the Yoruba and Kapsiki of Africa, Ancient Egypt, and Greek mythology. The diversity of traditions allowed for us to discuss the unique symbolism used for impact in each mythic narrative. Additionally, the myths explored this week…
-
The Mythology of Death and Disease in African Tradition
In this week’s lecture, we studied the mythology of death/disease in African tradition and the symbolism that further explains these traditions. In a lot of African cultures, life and death exist in the continuum in which death is seen as a passage to another plane of existence. Within my group, we looked at the mythology…
-
Duality between death and body practices in mythologies
What underpins the foundationally similar views upon death in mythologies? Our peer-group discussion first explored the interconnective views on death between Hindu, Chinese, Muslim, and Greek mythologies. All 4 mythologies have the same foundation that after death, you either go to heaven or hell, however, key differences and similarities arise upon 3 interconnected concepts: afterlife,…
-
Mythologies of death, disease and cure
This week’s discussion encapsulated mythologies surrounding death and diseases centralized from Africa. The notion of death and diseases as a motif in mythology was explored within my group through various narratives from diverse traditions and cultures. In addition to this, the method of utilizing symbolism to further communicate and highlight the key messages embedded within…
-
Myth of death and disease
From our discussion of the myth of death and disease this week, my group and I have come up with a couple of interesting stories. I will pick some really meaningful myths that our group has discussed and explained what is the symbolism behind these stories. Let’s get started! Yaramurud’s Really Insistent Mother Natives of…
-
Martyrdom in the Context of Religious Thought
How do the myths on martyrdom encapsulate religious thought? Our group explored the concept of martyrdom and how it has been used as a tool to advance one’s level of devotion to their religious beliefs. Martyrdom has long been used as a bridge between the human and spiritual domains, often serving as a measuring…
-
Satan’s Temptation of Christ and Parallels Drawn to Other World Religions
For this week’s discussion, my group and I discussed Satan’s Temptation of Christ and the components that form the myth. We also discussed how other world religions have similar narratives in their mythology. Background: The Temptation of Christ is a narrative from the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke that tells the story of…
Got any book recommendations?