From Logos to Mythos

At about 500 BC, a paradigm shift occurred in Greek philosophy, as captured in the expression? "From Mythos to Logos," when the focus shifted from mythological and supernatural explanations (Mythos) to a more rational and empirical approach to understanding the world (Logos). This paved the way for the emergence of modern science and was a foundational moment for Western civilisation. When I hear that our way of life is under threat, my first reaction is to seek reassurance that this foundation is still solid.??

A 2022 survey in the US found that around 10% of respondents agreed with claims that NASA faked the Moon landing, COVID-19 vaccinations implanted tracking microchips or the Earth is flat. I can only imagine the disappointment of Eratosthenes, who measured the Earth's circumference 2250 years ago, if he were to read the survey's findings. For comparison, basic scientific facts such as the fact that the earth is billions of years old? or revolves around the sun are believed by 53 to 83 percent of the respondents. The phenomenon has been studied more in depth in the US, but available evidence suggests it is also widespread in Europe. A 2023 survey? run in France? by IFOP, showed that 40% of respondents? believe in at least one conspiracy theory. It's better than the 53% in the USA, but not reassuring at all.

While ancient or indigenous mythology emerged slowly over time, filtered by the wisdom of generations, contemporary myths, in the form of irrational conspiratorial beliefs, explode in viral form via social media and lack any wisdom. Worse, they can easily be created or manipulated? for the benefit of unscrupulous individuals. Considering that younger generations are the most? affected, and given? the connection between? conspiracy theories, the development of anti-scientific attitudes, and the growth of? populist and extremist views, I am forced to admit that our Western civilisation is indeed under threat.

In a sense, it is not surprising that people resort to magical thinking to make sense of the? world around them. 2250 years ago, a smart guy like Erastothenes was able to single-handedly measure? such a fundamental? parameter as the Earth's circumference. Today, not even the smartest among us could? personally master the software that runs on a common appliance like a mobile phone. Having the brain to do it does not make up for the fact that an entire life would not be sufficient to go through millions of lines of code. The complexity of the world we have created has already outsmarted our human comprehension. For all practical purposes, for most of us, it's as if our world? were run by magic. The way we make sense of it? is moving? away from Logos and back towards Mythos.

We urgently need a way to reconcile large fractions of the public with scientific thinking by giving them the proper tools to make sense of the complexity of modern life. We need to invert the trend away from Mythos towards Logos.

Relying? on opposition, denial, and cancel culture would only bring more polarisation to our society. Instead, we need to start from the ground up by understanding the basic events and narratives that constitute the fabric of our social interactions. That is why, with a group of friends within Volt, we started a new project. We want to hear directly from the broadest? possible areas of society and give everyone the opportunity to share a short story. We call those stories "micro-narratives,"? and they should represent something that actually happened to someone and they believe it is worth telling.? It is not a survey where we would ask polarising questions on migration, climate change, world conflicts, or LGBT rights. We are not going to stimulate people's fears by asking them to rank their biggest concerns, from unemployment, to drugs or security. We? just want to tap into the web of micro-events and micro-narratives that constitute the ongoing conversations? within our society and from which? public opinions and political trends emerge. Moreover, we do not want to analyse the stories from a top-down theoretical model, but those who care to respond will be able to make their own sense of their story with some simple tools. You can share? your story at https://bit.ly/VoltSenseRb , but we will also constitute teams of? "collectors" who will reach out across Europe to collect stories from broad areas of society.

The stories collected and the meanings identified by the participants themselves will be the basis for further discussions at events and workshops where we will invite willing participants to work together to find ways to increase the number of stories perceived as positive experiences. We count on the future Volteuropa representatives at the European Parliament to use them as policy-making tools, but the outcomes of the project will be available at all levels and to all social and political players.

The platform we use, SenseMaker (https://thecynefin.co/sensemaker) ., originates from complexity thinking, and the follow-up events will be an ideal forum to popularise complex thinking and democratise a science-based approach to politics. We are starting this campaign in conjunction with the EU election campaign, but we plan to extend it further in the coming months.??

If you believe that the above makes sense (no pun intended), please share your? story at https://bit.ly/VoltSenseRb . If you believe that it doesn't, please share your story; we would really like to hear from you as well. Help us understand what is happening around us and share the meaning that you give to your story.