Faster than a Speeding Pharisee

[metatait]

I finally nerved myself up to talk to Dr. Clothey in person, which if anything will allow me to finally get some sleep and stop imagining what I might say to him. Admittedly I was a bit surprised by how unresponsive he was to the work I've done and plans for studying dreams and myth, but perhaps that was mostly due to being a bit more nervous than

Comments

[sorenlundi]

Wouldn't the "incompetant male" archetype itself counteract manifest destiny? He who was once a conquering hero is now just some guy.

[metatait]

But consequently he now has to go out and prove himself, to recapture his lost virility by conquering something else, to try and uphold the old paradigm of the warrior hero, but unfortunately still he remains just some schmuck (In Bush's case of course, some schmuck with a lot of guns on his side...)

[sorenlundi]

Ah, that makes sense. I guess I was thinking of someone more like Irresponsible Captain Tyler, who through a combination of charm and dumb luck always comes out on top.

[metatait]

I'm not sure who Captain Tyler is, but I imagine charm and dumb luck probably have some part to play in this archetype as well... though that reminds me more of the Russian folklore of Ivanushko, the blessed fool, who despite being a complete fuck-up always manages to have the grace of the gods on his side.

[ankh_f_n_khonsu]

I very much so enjoyed Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice and the Socratic Way. It doesn't focus so much on religion/faith, but does have an essay by Tom Morris, a philosopher at the University of Notre Dame, discussing the relevance of Matt Murdoch's (Daredevil) complex relationship with his Catholic heritage. I'm a big fan of the Pop Culture and Philosophy series, even if a few volumes have fallen a little flat, IMO. If this sort of stuff lights your fire, you might check it out too. We've also been discussing this very topic at recent VOMUG meetings, and we even have a new thread going on our forum related to the issue.

Campbell does endorse a good bit of pluralism, but his purpose seems more aimed at facilitating a wider understanding of cross-cultural similarities in myths rather than the subtle nuances that distinguish them from each other.

Have you read any of Jorge Ferrer's work on "participatory spirituality"? He has some strong criticisms against pluralists.

Namaste.