Myth and Science / An Essay

This essay argues that myth arises from intrinsic functions of human perception and imagination rather than solely from external cultural causes, tracing how animal sensation projects inner life onto perceived beings and how human reflexive intellect transforms those primitive apprehensions. It compares animal and human sensory experience, examines the cognitive mechanisms that generate personified explanations of natural phenomena, and outlines a historical evolution from mythic projection toward scientific interpretation. The final chapters analyse dreams, illusions, hallucinations, delirium, and madness as related phenomena that illuminate mythic thought and its relation to rational inquiry.