The Ancient Mythology of Modern Science: A Mythologist Looks (Seriously) at Popular Science Writing (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780773539891)

Humans have long been captivated by mythology and theorized about the lessons embedded in their tales. In The Ancient Mythology of Modern Science, Gregory Schrempp brings a mythologist's critical eye to popular science writing, a flourishing genre that forms a key link between science and popular consciousness. Schrempp argues that the defining and appealing characteristic of this genre is not simplification or "dumbing-down," but the attempt to parlay scientific findings into aesthetically and morally compelling visions that offer guidance for humanity. Schrempp argues that in striving for inspirational visions, popular science invariably reproduces - with ingenious invention - the structures, strategies, and cosmic imagery that infuse traditional mythological views of the cosmos. His claim challenges the widespread tendency to separate myth and science. Schrempp considers both the intellectual history of mythography and concrete examples from world mythologies including ancient Greek, Oceanic, and Native American. Schrempp's explorations span a range of fields, including astronomy, evolutionary biology, and cognitive science. In a world informed, transformed, and sometimes mesmerized by science, this book offers the first in-depth study of popular science writing from a mythologist's perspective.

Author: Gregory Schrempp
ISBN-10: 0773539891
ISBN-13: 9780773539891
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/09/2012
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.33lbs
Size: 9.23h x 6.44w x 0.98d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/15/2012 pg. 99