With a new Introduction by the author
'An elegant and sane little book. - The New Statesman
Myths, as Mary Midgley argues in this powerful book, are everywhere. In
political thought they sit at the heart of theories of human nature and
the social contract; in economics in the pursuit of self interest; and
in science the idea of human beings as machines, which originates in the
seventeenth century, is a today a potent force. Far from being the
opposite of science, however, Midgley argues that myth is a central part
of it. Myths are neither lies nor mere stories but a network of powerful
symbols for interpreting the world. Tackling a dazzling array of
subjects such as philosophy, evolutionary psychology, animals,
consciousness and the environment in her customary razor-sharp prose,
The Myths We Live By reminds us of the powerful role of symbolism and
the need to take our imaginative life seriously.
Mary Midgley is a moral philosopher and the author of many books
including Wickedness, Evolution as a Religion, Beast and Man and
Science and Poetry. All are published in Routledge Classics.