Published On Aug 17, 2023
Let's get one thing clear. We are *not talking about Campbell's personal politics. We're talking about his ideas, and specifically *one idea: the Monomyth, the Hero's Journey. It's easy to criticize the dated anthropological language Campbell uses to express this idea, sure, but there is absolutely no doubt that The Hero With a Thousand Faces exudes nothing but love, respect, and an earnest faith in all the world's mythologies. I mean, just compare Campbell to writers like J.G. Frazer who wrote The Golden Bough (an important precedent to Campbell), and you'll see what it looks like when a writer *doesn't give due respect to the people he's studying, and doesn't have faith in their mythologies. Campbell believes in magic. Frazer does not.
Let's make a a second thing clear: I am *not claiming Campbell never got anything wrong. He's no saint or deity, but neither is he a tyrant or an ogre. He's just a semi-academic writer who helps us see through the veil a wee bit. He's neither anthropologist nor archaeologist. He didn't even have a PhD. He's just a guy who read tons of books and went to museums and geeked out about mythology. If we start demanding perfection from all thinkers in the past, we will quickly run out of thinkers to read... Once upon a time, Alan Watts asked Campbell: "What is your yoga?" which is another way of saying, "What is your spiritual practice?" Campbell replied, "Underlining sentences."
Let's make a third thing clear: there is Great Irony (G.I.) for quoting Camille Paglia in a video about Joseph Campbell. From wikipedia: "Paglia has written that... she loathes [Campbell] for his 'mawkishness and bad research.' Paglia has called Campbell 'mushy' and a 'false teacher', and described his work as a 'fanciful, showy mishmash'." The best thing about not committing your worldview to any ONE thinker is that you can force their ideas into a synthesis that they (as individuals) would never have achieved. That's the only way that we keep evolving; how we keep thinking better thoughts: is to synthesize vastly different things, and discover what they share. And that, it turns out, was probably a good description of Campbell's M.O. in his life.
I promised to keep this video under 20 minutes, but if I could write one last addendum, I would argue that the category of "the Universal" is missing in our world. "The Universal" is not something that given to us, we have to construct it, we have to fight for it, we have to make Unity. If you refute the existence of the category of the Universal--or insist upon the primacy of the Particular--then you're the foot-soldier of capitalism's alienation; you are making an argument for segregation, atomization, and bad vibes; you are Mr Smith; you are a herald of cultural entropy. We need a Synthesis between the Particular and the Universal, but I believe we are all neglecting the Universal. We need to build this category of the Universal, and get the planet on the same page. We will explore the stars as one, it's gonna happen. We're just in a phase of deciding what myths to take with us. Campbell fought to protect indigenous myths from all over the world. He laid the groundwork for our seeing the Human Story as One Story. Why would you be against that?
From the bottom of my heart I mean this: Peace, love, and universal blessings to all, especially the authors of the article I just destroyed. Especially the citizens of Ouagadougou, love you guys. Especially you, reading this now. No, not "You,' as in the person reading this. "You," as in the Self behind that person. Yes, THAT you. The Deep Self that calls itself "The Great I am..." To you I say:
What's good fam?
#josephcampbell #videoessay #herosjourney #archetypes
Hey so making these videos is insanely time consuming. Every time I make one, I'm neglecting my professional life in a big way. If you are able, consider becoming a patron to help me continue making videos. Here's the link: / josh_from_xbolive
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Seven Critiques.
0:46 1. He Produces Generic Writing.
1:26 2. He Imposes His Theory.
3:00 3. He Picks Cherries.
3:55 4. He Promotes Individualism.
6:44 5. He is Dangerous.
14:40 6. He is Being Challenged.
16:39 7. Meaning is Dangerous.
P,S, the music is Klaus Wiese – The Rosenberg Tapes (2004)