The contemporary mythological worldview as a socio-cultural phenomenon

Abstract

Background. The problem of shaping a person's worldview and their relationship to the world and to oneself remains relevant in contemporary philosophy. Especially significant in this context is the contemporary role of the mythological worldview, which, just as in the past, allows a person to make sense of the world, achieve harmony with it, overcome chaos and the absurdity of everyday life – ultimately to create culture.  The aim of the article is to identify the connections between contemporary forms of social consciousness and the mythological worldview.

Methods. The main methods of this study include phenomenological, hermeneutic, dialectical, and transcendental approaches, as well as discourse analysis, supplemented by other general scientific methods.

Results. Current scientific issues related to the emergence and role of new myths in contemporary culture are outlined. It is demonstrated that myth-making is one of the fundamental spiritual needs of human beings, requiring continual realization within society. The impact of mythology on contemporary cultural processes is analyzed, and the illusory nature of the current dominance of the scientific worldview is highlighted. The complex connections between contemporary mythology and science, philosophy, and other forms of contemporary knowledge are outlined. The concept of "myth life" is introduced, and its core meaning is explained. The inaccuracy of the opposition between mythology and science, as well as the regularity of neo-mythological phenomena within contemporary collective consciousness, is demonstrated.

Conclusions. The mythological worldview is not a historically isolated socio-cultural phenomenon. The principles and general significance of contemporary myth-making differ little from its archaic prototypes. The ancient myth was the first rational interpretation of the world, based on an image-symbolic form. Mythology forms an important part of the spiritual culture of mankind, and mythological and neo-mythological representations are structural elements of human consciousness. Although, in the context of the global spiritual crisis of humanity, some myths may reinforce social tension and the mythological worldview can contribute to the expansion of manipulative technologies in society, mythology still preserves significant cognitive and cultural potential today.