Best of Week: "The Myths" - Sophie's World

My favorite chapter so far in Sophie's World is "The Myths."


Mythology has always intrigued me ever since I was in middle school. I have read countless books on Norse, Greek, Indian, Arabic, and Egyptian mythology because I love reading about the beliefs of civilizations of the past. I had not expected mythology to be a contributor to the "history of philosophy" as told by Jostein Gaarder. I was enthused when I read about Thor's hammer and Odin and Freyja because as I read their names and their little "myths," I kept thinking to myself, "oh yeah, I remember reading about them before!" Because of my past knowledge of mythology, I enjoyed reading how Gaarder used Norse mythology to deliver argument on philosophy. He talked about how myth was essentially created in order to answer the questions that philosophers strive to discover. Much is the same about religion, science, and the arts. I believe mythology is and was a prime factor in the history of philosophy, whether it be from civilizations of the past like the Scandinavians or Greeks, or the mythology of the religions of the world.


In the past, people have agreed or disagreed with proposed "myths" that attempted to explain the unknowns of the world. This is still evident today, as many people disagree and agree with particular aspects of religion, science, etc. Depending on their own "philosophical ideas," people have each developed their own set of myths that appeal to them. These individual myths can be religion, can be science, can be art, can be ancient mythology, can be interpersonal relationships. These myths are the beliefs that help people answer some of the main philosophical questions. Such is the case in my favorite part of the chapter, when Sophie began to "make up a story" in order to explain where the snow went and why the sun rose up in the morning. That is when I realized that ANYONE can create a story. ANYONE can fantasize and ponder on why and how things work and exist. This is the beauty of our world: people all live in the same world, but when asked how that world works, they all come up with completely different explanations.