Vol 7, No 1, 2008 pp. 25-41
UDC 316.334.3
FROM ARCHAIC TO MODERN (POLITICAL) MYTH:
THE CAUSES, FUNCTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES
Branislav Stevanović
Faculty of Philosophy, Niš, Republic of Serbia
E-mail: stebranis@yahoo.com
Due to its comprehensive but also creative character, myth was the dominant
form of man's spirituality from early cultures, from which later on at
least three basic spiritual human activities were derived: religion, philosophy
(science) and art. Mythology tries to discard inexplicable and unsolvable
issues, but cannot be reduced to satisfying the curiosity of either archaic
or modern man. Mythical thinking is adequate in any creative situation
(Eliade), while its crucial social function is in harmonizing the community,
which prevents the state of chaos, doubt and pessimism. According to its
nature, myth is deeply social, which is in particular visible in the political
myth whose primary role is to stabilize and spiritually unite a political
community. Myth is indestructible, since every authority uses both myths
and symbols as constitutive parts of the capacity of governing a society.
Moreover, myth can serve to progressive or regressive politics, where the
latter comes from its primarily irrational and practical character. Therefore,
in facing its own mythologized past, any democratic system, including that
of Serbia, has to make a certain selection among its myths by discarding
the nationalist mythology, in addition to the affirmation of those myths
that symbolically found the, still feeble, Serbian democracy.
Key words: archaic myth, mythical
features, spiritual unity, creative potential of myth, mundane religion,
modern (artificially) political myth, social conditions of political myth,
human life, Serbian political myth, Serbian nation.
OD ARHAJSKOG DO MODERNOG (POLITIČKOG)
MITA: UZROCI, FUNKCIJE I POSLEDICE
Zbog svog objedinjujućeg ali i kreativnog karaktera, mit je bio dominantan
oblik duhovnosti čoveka ranih kultura iz kojeg su se kasnije izdvojile
bar tri osnovne duhovne ljudske aktivnosti: religija, filozofija (nauka)
i umetnost. Mitologija se trudi da isključi neobjašnjive događaje i
nerešive probleme, ali se ne svodi na zadovoljavanje radoznalosti arhajskog
ili savremenog čoveka. Mitsko mišljenje je primereno svakoj stvaralačkoj
situaciji (Eliade), dok je osnovna socijalna funkcija mita u harmonizaciji
zajednice, čime predupređuje stanje haosa, sumnju i pesimizam. Po svojoj
prirodi, mit je duboko socijalan, sto je naročito vidljivo i u politickom
mitu koji ima ulogu stabilizatora i duhovnog ujedinitelja jedne političke
zajednice. Mit je neunistiv, jer svaka vlast koristi mitove i simbole kao
sastavne delove umeća upravljanja društvom. Takođe, mit može služiti
kako progresivnoj tako i regresivnoj politici, a ovo drugo proističe iz
njegovog pretežno iracionalnog i praktičnog karaktera. Stoga u suočenju
sa svojom mitologizovanom prošlošću, svaki demokratski poredak, pa i
srbijanski, mora da izvrši izvesnu selekciju svojih mitova, time što
će odbaciti nacionalističku mitologiju a afirmisati one mitove koji simbolično
zasnivaju, jos uvek nejaku, demokratiju u Srbiji.
Ključne reči: arhajski mit,
mitske karakteristike, duhovno jedinstvo, kreativni potencijal mita, svetovna
religija, moderni (veštački) politički mit, socijalni uslovi političkog
mita, ljudski život, srpski politički mit, srpska nacija
