34 pages 1 hour read

G. K. Chesterton

The Everlasting Man

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1925

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Part 1, Chapters 5-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “On the Creature Called Man”

Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary: “Man and Mythologies”

The invention of stories is intrinsic to humanity. At the same time, it is a curious fact that so many of our stories are the same, or at least bear various similarities. Possibly, every author and artist has felt the tug of some transcendental truths, which they are only just barely grasping and discovering.

The myths that we create, however, are never mistaken for the true nature of reality—they are means by which we attempt to discover what reality actually is, and what meaning lies embedded within our nature and the nature of the cosmos. Mythology is, thus, much more like philosophy than religion; It is a creation of the will, of the imagination, not a grasping of the truth with the intellect.

The Christian church attempted for the very first time to unite religion with reason, as the God it worshipped was the source of all reality, and thus the source of all truth. The act of religion is as natural as the act of seeking the truth, since both reflect the true nature of reality. Mythmaking searched for what was true. Because the religion of Christ was the answer, mythmaking was no longer needed.