Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths?: An Essay on the Constitutive Imagination"[Veyne's] present book has some kinship with his sprightly theoretical work Comment on ecrit l'histoire; and he declares that its aim was to provoke reflection on the way our conception of truth is built up and changes over the centuries. . . . The style is brilliant and exhilarating."—Jasper Griffin, Times Literary Supplement |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
When Historical Truth Was Tradition and Vulgate | 5 |
The Plurality and Analogy of True Worlds | 17 |
The Social Distribution of Knowledge and the Modalities of Belief | 27 |
Social Diversity of Beliefs and Mental Balkanization | 41 |
Behind This Sociology an Implicit Program of Truth | 59 |
Restoring Etiological Truth to Myth | 71 |
Common terms and phrases
accepted according already ancient appear Arcadians asked attitude authentic become beginning believe called cause centuries Cicero cite completely concerning considered constitutive criticism culture divine doubt everything example exist explain eyes fact faith false fiction forces give gods Greeks Heracles heroes historian Homer human idea imagination interests interpretation invented king knowledge known learned least legends less lies literature living longer matter means mind myth mythical mythology natural never object origins Palaephatus Paris past Pausanias period philosophers Plato poet political possible present problem question readers reality reason refer reflect relations religion remains rhetoric seen sense simply social society sometimes sources speak story taken tell Theseus things thought Thucydides tradition true truth wish writes