ABSTRACT
The predominant
opinion that science has the explanation and solution to natural and social
problems can be summed in the words of Mel Thompson that ‘science is a massive
problem-solving and information gathering enterprise’. Thoughts such as this
relegate other forms of knowledge and the benefits therein to the background or
sometimes dismissing them as primitive myths or traditional gibberish. However,
Karl Popper believes that myths and traditions are essential component of
modern science and that without tradition knowledge is impossible. Myths
survive via tradition. Popper argues for a critical examination of myths and
tradition before rejecting or accepting them. Along this line, the study
analyzed and evaluated Popper’s thoughts on myths and traditions. Specifically,
the study, using Popper’s theory of critical rationalism as a framework, tried
to situate the appropriateness or otherwise of myths and traditions for the
enhancement of scientific and social knowledge; discover the philosophy behind
myths and traditions; how they are created, sustained and transmitted and
finally, discover the role it had played and could play in the development of
science and society. The study affirmed Popper’s view that tradition is a very
important source of knowledge and that science originates from myths and
traditions. It was also established that the philosophy behind every myth and
tradition is the explanation and justification of all human experiences and
actions. It was equally discovered that cosmological and physical regularities
and irregularities give impetus for the creation of myths and traditions. The
study advocates the enthronement of the culture of logical curiosity in
cultures where critical thinking is not a tradition in other to preserve their
myths and traditions for future generations.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page – – – – – – – – – i
Approval page – – – – – – – – ii
Certification – – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – v
Abstract – – – – – – – – – viii
Table of contents – – – – – – – – ix
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study – – – – – 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem – – – – – – 6
1.3 Purpose of the Study – – – – – – – 7
1.4 Thesis of the Study – – – – – – – 8
1.5 Scope of the Study – – – – – – 8
1.6 Significance of the Study – – – – – – 8
1.7 Method of the Study – – – – – – – 9
Chapter two: Literature Review – – – – – 11
Chapter Three: Analysis of Karl Popper’s Rational Theory Towards Tradition
3.1. Biography of Karl Popper – – – 52
3.2. Reasons for a Rational Theory of Tradition – – 55
3.3. The Difference between Science and Myth – – 62
3.4. Sociological Theory of Tradition – – – – 70
3.5. The Notion of Critical Rationalism – – – 75
Chapter Four: Critical Evaluation of Popper’s Rational Theory of Myth and Tradition
4.1. The Anti-rationality of Rationalism Vs the Problem of Tradition 85
4.2. Rational Theory of Tradition – – – – 92
4.3. The Inevitability of Tradition – – – – – 95
4.4. Deconstruction of Popper’s Critical Theory – – 96
Chapter Five: Scientific and Sociological Senses in the Nonsense of Myths and Traditions
5.1. Re-evaluation of Similarities between Science, Myth and Tradition 106
5.2. Sense in the Nonsense of Myths – – – – – 109
5.3. The Culture of Logical Curiosity — – – – – 120
5.3.1. Culture – – – – – – – 120
5.3.2. Logic – – – – – – – – – 127
5.3.3. Curiosity- – – – – – – – 128
5.4. Culture of Logical Curiosity in the
Enthronement of Research Tradition- 130
5.5. The Great Generations in Scientific thinking – – 136
5.6. Evaluation – – – – – – – 141
5.7. Conclusion – – – – – – – – 145
Bibliography – – – – – – – 149
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
The title of this essay – Karl Popper on
Myths and Traditions – was chosen to enable me evaluate the place of myths and
traditions in the growth of knowledge and society. My interest in this topic
stems from my own cultural background where myths and traditions which are seen
as the people’s culture cannot be questioned or changed even in the face of
contradicting realities of the present order in science and social engineering
or as Simon Ottenberg puts it – “…the Afikpo people rely much on tradition,
on an orientation to past events as precedent”.1
More specifically, this research topic
was chosen to find, if possible, a middle point between myth and tradition as a
source of background knowledge which if properly harnessed can lead to the
discovery of new knowledge in the sciences as well as engender a better
understanding of their places in social engineering. Thus, the topic will
enable me argue, in line with Popper, that every tradition has a function and
that to understand a tradition, we should have the tradition clearly before us
and we have to understand in a general way what may be the function and
significance of that tradition. We shall also argue that every tradition and
myth should be subject to rational criticism.
Popper does not assume that man could
ever free himself entirely from the bonds of tradition. But one can free
oneself from the taboos of tradition. This freeing according to him can be done
not only by rejecting it but by critically accepting it. This critical
acceptance for him forms the crucible upon which science and society will grow,
creating new myths and new traditions. I shall align my arguments with Popper’s.
Following from the above,
we shall stress the point that every society has its own story to tell about its
people, culture, environment or religion. That the stories are in all cases
weaved around space and time and told in different genres. And that no matter
the category of the story, the intended effects is always geared towards the
advancement of the people’s knowledge, assuage their curiosity, ensure order, and
improve their living conditions. Levi-Strauss captured this point succinctly
when he averred that “…each type of story belongs to a given group, a given family, a given
lineage or to a given clan and is trying to explain its fate which can be a
successful one or a disastrous one or intended to account for rights and
privileges as they exist in the present or be attempting to validate claims for
rights which have since disappeared”.2
There are a number of literary or
narrative genres used in telling the story of a people or events. They include
fable, folk tales, fairy tales, legends, sagas, and epics and etiologic tales.
These categories put together are called myths. Cultures according to William
R. Shea are defined at least in part by their common creation myths; stories
that answer important questions about how things came to be and how meaning is
to be found within the existing order.3 For Mircea Eleade, “our best
chance of understanding the structure of mythical thought is to study cultures
where myth is a living thing”.4
Myth lives in all cultures of the world,
whether developed or developing. People tell stories to entertain, educate and
inform the people of its tradition and world views. These stories give answers
to questions of creation and other natural phenomena of which no human being
witnessed their beginnings. Such issues include the creation of man, the
segmentation of the sky from the earth, life-after-death, the divisions of the
seas and waters, relations between humans and animals, relations between God,
man and gods, and relations between gods, humans and animals.
Myths are passed on from generation to generation and according to W.B Kees in
the New Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 24, they are specific accounts of
gods or superhuman beings involved in
extra ordinary events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which
is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experiences. For him, every
myth presents itself as an authoritative, factual account and no matter how much
the narrated event is at variance with natural law or ordinary sense
experience, no attempt is made to justify it or render it plausible.5
In contradistinction to Kees position,
myths were in facts attempts by the ancients to justify and render their
curiosity plausible within their own cosmological matrix in space and time.
Nicholas Corte defines myth as a representation of reality which though
fantastic, claims to be accurate.6 Corte’s definition assumes
that man met reality as a situation on ground and could not explain it
scientifically so he (man) resorted to deduce some fantastic reasoning to
assuage his curiosity and wonder. For Emeka Ekweru, myths are sacred historical
narratives that are essentially bodies of traditional stories that seek to
define man’s relationship with his natural environment both at the most elementary
level and the sublime and philosophical levels. He describe them as something
more than mere historical narratives; they are sacred history.7 William
Bascom on the other hand, sees myth as prose narrative which in the society
they are told are considered to be truthful account of what happened in the
remote past.8 In his works, on oral tradition Isidore Okpewho
arrived at the conclusion that myths give account of historical events which
are facts but not always since some myths are fictitious stories. He asserts
that the narrator based on his creative capability contributes a lot to the
aesthetics of the story since it admits creativity.9
Myths are about communities because they
have collective significance and refer to past events that have reference to
the present. One important characteristic of myth is that they are assumed
matters of fact. This is because they are not only sources of historical
information but are also virtualized up to the present. The virtualization of
myth means the re-enactment of myths in the present. For example, the
installation of traditional rulers in some cultures based on the stories handed
down from one generation to another. Also, the experiment carried out by
scientists to confirm or refute some mythic explanation of the cosmos is
another example of the virtualization of myths.
It is this re-enactment that enlivens myths; they make them fresh in the
mind of the people. They also make people visualize myths. For these reasons,
according to Okodo “myths are acts of history whether proved or not”.10
Okodo’s
position corroborates Kees’ assertion that myths have its authority not by
proving itself but by presenting itself as a given. This presentation is done
via tradition.
Tradition is the tripod upon which myths
stands. It derives its staying power from tradition and survives from
generation to generation by it. Tradition according to the Oxford English
Dictionary Vol. Xviii is the action of transmitting or handing down; or fact of
being handed down from generation to generation. It is the transmission of
statements, beliefs, rules, custom or the like especially by word of mouth or
by practice without writing. In another sense, according to the Oxford
Dictionary, tradition could also be said to be a long established and generally
acceptable custom or method of procedure having the force of law.11
This seeming force of law exhibited by tradition is as a result of the stories
told and the practices handed down from one generation to another generation in
all cultures and every generation is always careful not to breach the trust of
handing over the tradition as it was passed on to it leading Arnold Toynbee as
it were to posit that:
As an historian
studies history, he or she is struck by two things. First, that human history
is largely a story… and second, that societies live entirely on myths.12
The realization that societies live
almost on myth may have informed Karl Popper’s decision to take a philosophical look
at the rationale behind the theory of tradition. In a lecture entitled ‘Towards a Rational
Theory of Tradition’ given at the third annual conference of the Rationalist Press Association
on the 26th of July 1948 at Magdalin College, Oxford, Karl Popper
raised some questions in regard to the theory of tradition and went ahead to
articulate possible ways of solving the problem of tradition and the role of
myths in the social and natural sciences.13
This long essay is therefore an attempt
to evaluate Popper’s thoughts on myths and traditions, especially its significance and
importance for the growth of knowledge in science and society.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
Primitive societies all over the world
attributed the vagaries of social life to the activities of the gods. Also,
cosmogonic alterations, atmospheric inconsistencies, and natural dislocations
were all viewed and explained as the acts of the gods by the ancients. This
theistic attributes are handed down from generation to generation in myths and
nourished by traditions via taboos.
Karl Popper’s interest in myths
and traditions was geared towards the clarification of their places in social
and scientific engineering. And also reconcile the seeming hostility between
rationalists and anti-rationalists. Rationalists according to Popper are
inclined to adopt the ‘I am not interested in tradition attitude’. The rationalists wants to judge
everything on its merit, he wants to do it independently of any tradition. He
wants to judge with his own brain and not the brain of other people who lived
long ago.14
This attitude was the rationalist
foundation built by Rene Descartes in the 16th century when he
resolved to deconstruct the system of acquiring true knowledge upon the powers
of human reason alone. According to Stumpf, since his (Descartes) system of
truth would have to be derived from his own rational powers, he would no longer
rely on previous philosophers for his ideas nor would he accept any idea as
true only because it was expressed by someone with authority.15
Ironically, some rationalists seem to beg
the question when they insist that they follow the rule of judging everything
on its merit. Following such rules constitutes a certain tradition. Popper then
raises the question of why should the tradition of the rationalists be better
than any other? Other problems include: what is the philosophy behind myths and
traditions? How are they created, sustained and transmitted? What role do they
play in the development of science and society? And, can Karl Popper’s critical
rationalism offer solutions to the problems posed by myths and traditions in
science and society? These are problematic issues and solutions will be
proffered for them in this study.
1.3. Purpose of the Study
The advent of western education, science
and technology threw spanners in the wheel of motion of traditional societies
leading as it were to the abandoning of former ways of doing things. The
enlightenment was embraced and tradition and traditional modes of learning and
living declared primitive and mythical.
Karl Popper thought otherwise. He
believes we should question the myths and traditions handed down to us. Accept
the ones we can and criticize the ones we do not understand. But most
importantly, he thinks we must guard and respect our traditions. With that
understanding, this work shall aim at exposing and evaluating Karl Popper’s thoughts on myths
and traditions and its significance to contemporary society.
1.4.
Thesis of the study
We
shall demonstrate through this study:
1. That Popper’s view that tradition is the most important source of knowledge and that science originates from myths was achieved.
2. That the philosophy behind every myth and tradition is the explanation and justification of all human experiences and actions.
3. That the correct application of the principles of critical rationalism will give impetus for a thorough assessment of myths and traditions of every society with a view to accepting, rejecting or altering them in line with present realities.
4. That the adoption of culture of logical curiosity in
cultures where they are lacking will encourage the establishment of durable research traditions in such cultures.
1.5. Scope of the Study
This work will focus mainly on Karl
Popper’s
rational theory towards tradition. Within this frame work, we shall deal with
his deconstruction of myths and traditions, and his theory of critical
rationalism.
1.6. Significance of the Study
The significance of this study is
premised on the need to ascertain the place of myths and traditions in the
social and scientific life of contemporary man. It will provide us a platform
to critically analyze, accept, reject or question the traditions of our
societies that constant practice has made sacrosanct.
This work will therefore be useful not
only to professional philosophers but also to scientists and social agencies,
it will equally offer us the opportunity to take a holistic view of Karl Popper’s thoughts on myths
and traditions thereby contributing our own quota to academic knowledge and
research in general and philosophy of science in particular.
1.7. Research Methodology
This study will employ the qualitative research method. In line with this objective, data for the study will be collected from books, journals, articles, and internet sources. Data from these sources will be analyzed by the use of historical-hermeneutics, philosophical exposition and critical analysis. Historical-hermeneutics would be used to survey and understand previous conceptions of myths and traditions and its role in the development of science. Philosophical exposition would be used to expose Karl Popper’s views on myths and traditions. Critical analysis would be used to relate Popper’s ideas to contradictory view.
KARL POPPER ON MYTHS AND TRADITIONS
