Episode 1: Foundations
Episode 1 of the Narrative Machines podcast, "Foundations," explores the central role of myth in shaping human perception, identity, and politics, even in a modern age that often rejects the idea of myth. The episode argues that while we may call some stories myths and others not, all stories have the potential to become myths as they are repeated and embedded in our culture.
We use the analogy of strange attractors to describe how myths function. Just as a strange attractor represents the underlying structure toward which a system tends to evolve, myths provide a framework for understanding and organizing our experiences. The episode connects this idea to Richard Dawkins' concept of memes, which are self-reproducing information structures analogous to genes, demonstrating that memes are not just silly pictures on the internet; they represent any idea that can become a social act and shape our beliefs and actions.
Emphasizing the importance of moving beyond simplistic interpretations of myths and recognizing the complex ways they function in our lives, we introduce several key functions of myths:
They inform the relationships between things.
They define our identities, place in time, and roles in society.
They arise from and bleed back into the material world, shaping history and the future.
They serve as a selector for social mobility.
They must be understood in the context of their use.
They function as strange attractors.
The episode concludes by emphasizing the immanence of myth and its role as a fundamental aspect of human experience. It calls for recognizing the power of myth in our lives and engaging with it critically and consciously.
