The Mythology of the Meme: Tracing the Body and Soul inPhilosophical and Theological Mythmaking Pubblico

Abstract

Mythology serves as both a guiding principle and the form of the narrative of humanity as well as a viable and mutable representation of the human condition extended through time. When remapped onto mythology, Richard Dawkins`s conception of the ever changing yet resilient cultural meme provides a lens through which to examine the consistency of myth and perhaps reconcile its seemingly different manifestations from antiquity to Christianity. Further clarity is achieved when narrowing the investigation to the cultural and philosophical manifestation of the body and soul in each respective time period. As reflected in myths of origin, the relationship between the body and soul serves as the access point to the divine as well as the center for understanding human experience. The discussion is furthered by examining paradigmatic texts from before and after the advent of Christianity. Plato`s Timaeus provides a classical understanding of the cosmos and Augustine`s City of God facilitates an investigation of the Christian notion of man in relation to his origin. The trajectory of the contentious yet unified relationship between the body and the soul has not been broken from antiquity`s conception of the self in relation to the divine. Rather, the form of conveyance and the characters to which the ends are directed change, but remain recognizably consistent. The aim of this essay is to elucidate the eternal quality of myth, its cultural function and its evolution with respect to the body and soul. Mythological discourses are inextricably tied to one another and representative of a fundamental or basic need of humanity to eventually terminate in the eternality of myth, in this case, by means of philosophy.

Table of Contents

Introduction...................................................................................................... 1

I. Beginning in Myth and its Cultural Construction .................................................... 4

II. Myths of the Origins of Mortals and Immortals Embodied in Poetry ......................... 12

III. The Mythology of Love examined through Plato ................................................. 19

IV. The Mythology of Plato's Body and Soul ........................................................... 22

V. Out of Mythology into Poetry, Approximating Wisdom ........................................... 31

VI. Plato's Cosmology Examined through the Timaeus ................................................35

VII. Entering into Christianity and Medieval Thought .................................................47

VIII. Within The City of God .................................................................................52

Out of Augustine, to Conclude ..............................................................................62

Works Cited and Consulted ...................................................................................65

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School	Emory College
Department	Philosophy
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Philosophy Religion, Philosophy of
Parola chiave	Dawkins body and soul cultural meme dualism myth origin Timaeus
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Zupko, Jack, Emory University
Committee Members	Hartle, Ann, Emory University Dickson, Katrina, Emory University

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