What part does mythology take in our lives?

Joseph Campbell studied religion by analyzing myths, viewing most religious doctrines as symbolic, metaphorical narratives rather than literal truths. He believed in the "psychic unity of mankind," suggesting all humans share underlying mythic patterns, and sought to extract lessons for human flourishing from these myths. He was not an adherent of any specific religion, but rather a comparative mythologist who saw religious traditions as expressions of universal human experiences and aspirations.

He is thus known for his work as a mythologist, not a scientist in the conventional sense, and his ideas connect mythology to psychology and human experience, not to empirical scientific discovery. His work includes comparative studies of myths, revealing common patterns like the monomyth or "Hero's Journey", which have been found consistent with modern psychological concepts but are not scientific theories in themselves. While some suggest his work could inform scientific research, it was primarily a scholar of comparative mythology and religion, inspired by Jungian psychology

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

I would agreed with Campbell's basic thesis, and think the underlying need is deeply emotional, so a matter of psychology.

There is plenty of recorded history and archaeological evidence that mankind has always had an innate "spiritual" need expressed in assorted myths from simple local legends and funeral rites to complex religious constructs - and "mankind" could include our Neanderthal parallels now being accorded a lot more respect than hitherto. It could have arisen very much over coping with death and bereavement, as well as wishing for survival needs like food.

It's possible that rejecting any such personal need is historically recent, perhaps emerging as recently as the 18C. (Previously, "heresy" and "apostacy" seemed mainly against specific institutional dogma rather than rejecting any theist belief altogther.)