originally published 11/30/2022

Philosopher William C. Hackett reflects on the integral relationship between narrative and theoretical intelligence in his book Philosophy in Word & Name: Myth, Wisdom, and Apocalypse. In the High Middle Ages, theology and philosophy were deliberately divided in the universities by faculty consensus. Hackett sees this encapsulating moment as “framing the history of modernity itself.” Because modernity prioritizes theoretical intelligence above mythic or metaphorical intelligence, then myth, wisdom, and apocalypse become fragmented. But Hackett argues that they are each integral and that they must not supplant each other. Ultimately, Hackett says, “myth never goes away” and in some way apocalypse itself includes a “recovery” of myth and wisdom.

29 minutes

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