“The myth that John Locke was the philosopher behind the American Republic, is easily refuted by examining how Locke's philosophy steered Thomas Jefferson, for example.” PhilosophyBehindsExamplePhilosopherMythRepublicExamining Author:Robert Trout
“A brilliant analysis of leadership in democratic, authoritarian, and totalitarian states, Archie Brown's The Myth of the Strong Leader draws on a remarkably wide range of examples and is distinguished by the relevance of its insights and by the precision and clarity of their exposition. It is an absorbing read that deserves to become a modern classic of political thinking.” ThinkingStatesPoliticalStrongLeaderModernExampleDrawsDeserveDemocraticInsightWideMythBrilliantClarityRangeAnalysisClassicBrownDistinguishedRelevancePrecisionAbsorbingTotalitarian StateStrong LeadersPolitical Thinking Author:Jack F. Matlock, Jr.
“What passes for identity in America is a series of myths about one's heroic ancestors. It's astounding to me, for example, that so many people really seem to believe that the country was founded by a band of heroes who wanted to be free.” PeopleBelieveCountrySeemsWantedAmericaExampleIdentityHeroBandSeriesMythHeroicAncestor Author:James A. Baldwin
“If we [Americans] are a strong people, a united people, why do we always have to hear how great we are? What is this self-love? Where does this come from? It got worse, because after the war we thought we'd won it. That's the first myth. Frankly, Russia won it. The Soviet Union sacrificed far greater form than anyone else to win that war. Secondly, we had the atomic bomb. We should not have dropped it on Japan. We did as an example to the Soviets, not to defeat Japan and to save American lives. These are myths that we explode with a lot of research early on.” PeopleIfsShouldFirstsDoeWarSelfFormWinningStrongUnitedGreaterExampleSelf LoveResearchUnionsDefeatMythRussiaBombsJapanSovietSoviet UnionAmerican LifeAtomic BombStrong People Author:Oliver Stone
“Today, we know that time travel need not be confined to myths, science fiction, Hollywood movies, or even speculation by theoretical physicists. Time travel is possible. For example, an object traveling at high speeds ages more slowly than a stationary object. This means that if you were to travel into outer space and return, moving close to light speed, you could travel thousands of years into the Earth's future.” IfsKnowsNeedsYearsMeanLightAgeTodayEarthMovingSpaceFictionExampleObjectsReturnHollywoodScience FictionSpeedMythTime TravelSpeculationPhysicistTheoreticalConfinedOuter SpaceHigh SpeedHollywood MoviesStationary Book:Time: A Traveler's Guide Source: Time: A Traveler's Guide
“Schools, the institutions traditionally called upon to correct social inequality, are unsuited to the task; without economic opportunity to follow educational opportunity, the myth of equality can never become real. Far more than a hollow promise of future opportunity for their children, parents need jobs, income, and services. And children whose backgrounds have stunted their sense of the future need to be taught by example that they are good for more than they dared dream.” NeedsChildrenRealDreamSchoolJobsOpportunitySocialParentEconomicExampleTaughtPromiseTasksInstitutionsEducationalMythBackgroundsIncomeInequalityHollowSocial Inequality Book:All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure Source: All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure
“I meet a number of people as a writer of fiction who say "Oh, I don't read much fiction," as if the history of the United States, just as an example, isn't an exercise in storytelling and myth-making.” PeopleIfsStatesUnitedNumbersFictionUnited StatesExampleExerciseMythStorytelling Author:Yann Martel
“John Calvin's theology emphasizes the sanctity of conscience, the sanctity of companionate marriage, and the obligation of those in power to attend to the well-being of the people in general, especially the poor. Interestingly, for the interpretation of Hamlet, for example, he forbids even the thought of revenge. This is not the Calvin of myth, but when the Elizabethans read him there was no such myth, nor would there be now, if he were read.” PeopleIfsWellsPoorExampleConscienceRevengeMythTheologyObligationWell BeingInterpretationSanctity Author:Marilynne Robinson
“Math-thinking, I would say, encourages flipping and substituting letters in words (in the novel, one of the boys double-majors in math and myth, for example, and his twin cracks a joke about the father's handwriting that morphs "cacography" into "dadography").” ThinkingFatherBoysNovelExampleMajorsJokesLettersMathMythCracksTwinsHandwriting Author:Mary Kay Zuravleff
“One of my favorite things that Yahoo does on a regular basis is this story: "Wealthiest Rap Artists." That's an example of the internet just perpetuating this myth that we're all just sitting around in these mansions like Steven Tyler, bopping around in our swimming pool. It's bullshit.” DoeStoriesArtistExampleInternetSittingBasesMy FavoriteRapMythSwimmingPoolBullshitFavorites ThingsMansionsSitting AroundSwimming PoolPerpetuatingRap Artist Author:DJ Shadow
“I've tended to find that myths of the near future give people the ability to really kind of explore the present, so say for example if look at William Gibson and his book Neuromancer or if you look at J.G. Ballard or Samuel Delaney those are probably three of my favorite writers in that genre.” PeopleIfsGivingLooksKindBookThreeAbilityExampleMy FavoriteMythGenre Author:DJ Spooky