Ivanov A.G. The Mechanism of the Myths’ Impact on Society Development
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu7.2016.2.1
Andrey Gennadievich Ivanov
Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Public and Municipal Administration and Management,
Lipetsk Branch of Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
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Internatsionalnaya St., 3, 398050 Lipetsk, Russian Federation
Abstract. The article shows the impact of myths on society development. The impact is presented as “the algorithm” of work of the myth, where the key role belongs to the mythmaker (the political elite). Schematically this algorithm can be summarized as follows: (1) the mythmaker (elite) – (2) myth as an instrument of the authority – (3) context – (4) myth as a call and guide to action – (5) templates – (6) the operation of the myths – (7) the competition of myths / competition of mythmakers (elite) – (1) new mythmaker (new elite)... The article demonstrates the technology of myth implementation into the social consciousness from the perspective of the mythmaker (the myth’s sender) and from the perspective of the mythical (the myth’s recipient) respectively. It is assumed that mythogenic factors (image, brand, dogma, etc.) take an important place in social spheres. The term of “conceptual notion – attractor of the mythological” is introduced. This term demonstrates the processes of functioning of modern myths. Examples of “conceptual notions – attractors of the mythological” (exchange, revenge, sacred leader, rituals of transition, mythologem, ideologem, war, game, etc.) are correlated with the elements of social mythology. Such elements are ontological (ideas of the parts and the hole, time, space, causation), gnosiological (archaic thinking, mythopoetic world perception, mythological consciousness), axiological (faith, ideas of sacral and profane, identification), praxiological (myth, ritual). Society appears as an arena of competition of myths. The conclusion is about the cyclical operation of the myths and elites.
Key words: social myth, mythogenic factor, algorithm of myth work, conceptual notion– attractor of the mythological, mythmaker, element of social mythology.
The Mechanism of the Myths’ Impact on Society Development by Ivanov A.G. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.