Contemporary Mythology: Mechanisms of Meaning and Cultural Practice

Fundacja Dobre Państwo • January 5, 2026 • 🇵🇱 Polski

Myth: A Meaning-Making Machine and Taming the World's Strangeness

In "Contemporary Mythology," Marcin Napiórkowski carries out a radical deconstruction of the common understanding of myth. Here, myth is neither an ancient literary genre nor a lie, but a fundamental structure of meaning—a kind of operating system for culture. The author presents a provocative thesis: a human being cannot survive even three seconds without meaning. Myth is the response to this hunger, serving as a tool for taming the strangeness and chaos of reality. It allows us to inhabit the world by transforming incomprehensible processes into familiar stories.

Effectiveness Over Truth and the Triad of Myth Analysis

Modern myth does not operate in categories of truth and falsehood; its currency is effectiveness. It acts as an essential companion to rationality, providing a language of values where science offers only dry data. Studying myth requires analysis on three levels: semantics (the archetypes triggered), syntax (the structure of the story), and pragmatics (the actions and institutions the myth legitimizes). Such a methodology allows us to understand the mechanics of narrative without resorting to fruitless polemics over facts, as myth belongs to an axiological order rather than a purely informational one.

Bricolage and Scandal: Rituals Renewing Community Boundaries

Mythical thinking is bricolage—tinkering with the symbolic scrap of reality, such as memes, slogans, or viral images. An example is scandals, which function as social rituals, allowing a community to renew its moral boundaries through the collective condemnation of "outsiders." Similarly, culinary myths (e.g., about kebabs made from carrion) protect against the fear of the "other" by transferring global anxieties onto the plate. Even the mundane act of collecting plastic bottle caps becomes a ritual of micro-salvation, imparting a sense of the sacred to objects plucked from the cycle of consumption and building a sense of a "pure" community of giving.

The Great Work and New Media: Digital Factories of Modern Mythology

New media are the architects of myth, imposing a binary rhythm of outrage and simplified heroic figures. In this environment, fake news becomes an effective vehicle for meaning, filling cognitive gaps in an uncertain world. The myth of "The Great Work" expresses a longing for a lost paradise, promising the union of earning a living and self-fulfillment in a world that has brutally separated labor from meaning. The modern homo mythologicus functions within a web of algorithms that do not eliminate myth but rather provide it with a new interface, colonizing our identity through the "selfie myth" and performative authenticity.

Homo Mythologicus: Why Debunking and Facts Lose to the Narrative

Traditional myth-busting often fails because it attacks facts while ignoring the deeper need for meaning that myth satisfies. Myth is like glasses—we do not look at them; rather, we see reality through them, which makes it nearly transparent. There is no culture without myth, just as there is no human without meaning. Homo mythologicus is not a relic of the past, but the most accurate description of humanity in the age of technology and algorithms. Myth is no longer just a story about gods; we are the myth, entangled in webs of meaning that we ourselves constantly weave to make the world bearable.

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Summary

This article provides an in-depth analysis of Marcin Napiórkowski's concept presented in his book "Contemporary Mythology." The author rejects the traditional perception of myth as fable or falsehood, defining it as an essential "operating system of culture." The text explains how meaning-making mechanisms allow us to organize our surrounding reality and satisfy our existential hunger in the face of chaos. It discusses the practical manifestations of myth in social life, from rituals to media scandals, which serve as scenarios for collective action. A key element is the distinction between fact-checking and the ontological power of myth, which can create new realities where cognitive certainty is lacking. This approach views culture as a technology of meaning, where symbolic bricolage and networks of meaning build the foundations of our everyday functioning and identity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a myth in Napiórkowski's view the same as a lie or fake news?

No, myth is a fundamental structure of meaning that is not assessed in terms of truth and falsehood, but rather in terms of its effectiveness in ordering human experience.

Why does modern man still need mythology?

Because the world is becoming more and more complex, and myth serves as a tool to fill cognitive gaps and symbolically tame the chaos of reality.

What role does contemporary media play in creating myths?

The media act as myth architects, transforming individual events into ritual scandals that construct collective identity through shared moral judgment.

What does it mean that myth is the 'operating system' of culture?

This means that it is the invisible interpretive framework through which we perceive the world, enabling us to make sense of facts and take action.

How to distinguish rationality from mythical thinking?

Rationality is the language of precision and verifiable data, while myth is the language of values and identity; both systems complement each other in describing the world.