medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>I have a similar
> reaction to those who use Jungian or other
> approaches to the study of
> mythology.
It was Jung who used mythology, an artifact of the
past, and applied it to people he was working with,
not the other way around. He used mythology to try to
explain and understand the present. He also used myths
as metaphors for modern problems, applying the fables
of the past to help understand modern man.
>I can appreciate the use of such
> approaches in understanding
> people today, but imposing "archtypes" and other
> principles on people who
> lived thousands of years ago seems inappropriate and
> disrespectful to me:
Why? If it's OK to "impose" archetypes and use such
approaches on people today, why not "impose" them on
the people who started them all.
> inappropriate because people simply didn't look at
> the world or each other
> the way we do today,
This is an utterly gratuitous statement with no
possibility of proof. Why do you think this?
>and disrespectful because, by
> applying such principles
> and assumptions to those peoples, we are essentially
> refusing to see them on
> their own terms.
And how do we determine what "their own terms" are?
>I don't see how one can really
> understand another culture
> if one does not treat its members, living or dead,
> with respect.
I fail to see any disrespect in attempting to
understand the past by using modern techniques. We can
- and do without causing a ruckus - diagnose with a
certain amount of probability the diseases people died
of by scrutinizing descriptions of their physical
symptoms. Why is it so controversial to do the same
with diseases or disorders of the mind, especially
with people who left behind their own words or
artifacts?
>
> Francine Nicholson
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
> MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print
> your photos:
> http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
>
>
**********************************************************************
> To join the list, send the message: join
> medieval-religion YOUR NAME
> to: [log in to unmask]
> To send a message to the list, address it to:
> [log in to unmask]
> To leave the list, send the message: leave
> medieval-religion
> to: [log in to unmask]
> In order to report problems or to contact the list's
> owners, write to:
> [log in to unmask]
> For further information, visit our web site:
>
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
http://health.yahoo.com
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|