Gregory Schrempp > Quotes

“We encounter, in popular science writing, not a mythologizing of the cosmos as it was perceived by purportedly naive, archaic peoples (an idea that has given rise to countless fables about our intellectual origins), but rather - and this is what makes the venture interesting - an attempt to mythologize the cosmos of matter, that is, the cosmos of de-mythologized, impersonal substance.”
― Gregory Schrempp, The Ancient Mythology of Modern Science: A Mythologist Looks (Seriously) at Popular Science Writing

“Long a topic of interest for history and philosophy of science, the Copernican Revolution more recently has become a favorite symbol for popular science writers. This symbol is used in two main ways, both of which shade easily into the mythic. First, the Copernican Revolution is invoked to mark a point of grand transformation between anthropocentric and objective thinking. Second, many portrayals of the Copernican Revolution heroize its protagonist and ritualize his deed. The Copernican Revolution designates an alleged shift in worldview that took place in the past, but also a sort of personal microcosm of that event - a rite of passage that any mind aspiring to science must undergo. The term "myth" in some usages becomes a near-synonym for pre-Copernican thought - a definition that is maddeningly inadequate even though refreshingly concise.”
― Gregory Schrempp, The Ancient Mythology of Modern Science: A Mythologist Looks (Seriously) at Popular Science Writing