Abstract

Today lingers a mistaken belief, which claims, that myth is obsolete and is only relevant to bored historians. Nothing could be more wrong. In this paper the author will explain, what myth is, what meaning it has and why mythical thinking is a current and common phenomenon. The paper focuses on ideas of Kołakowski and Blumenberg, at the same time placing emphasis on the state and related dangers of modern myth. In the course of this work, the author will prove that myth is an essential part of human cognition and is a medium for meaning and for moral values. Rationality not only does not exclude mythical thinking, but, in a way, is its component.