Mystery and myth in the philosophy of Eric Voegelin

Abstract

Eric Voegelin is credited with being one of the most influential and profound philosophers of our time. However, a crucial element of his writings - his analysis of the essential mysteries of existence and the function of myth as the symbolic form that effectively communicates those mysteries - remains an area of his thought that has yet to be fully explored. In Mystery and Myth, Glenn Hughes presents this basic element of Voegelin's philosophy in a text that aims to be an introduction to Voegelin's work and a resource for students seeking an account of the fundamental principles of his thought. In order to lay the foundation for a unified explanation of Voegelin's analysis of mystery, Hughes begins with a two-chapter analysis of his theory of consciousness. The first is a systematic overview of that theory; the second treats Voegelin's theory of the differentiation of consciousness. Hughes continues by examining Voegelin's philosophy of history from the point of view provided by his theory of consciousness. In the final chapter, Hughes uses these materials to present a systematic exposition of Voegelin's many discussions of the basic mysteries of existence, and to examine the role that appreciation of those mysteries plays in Voegelin's balanced interpretation of the human situation. Throughout the book Voegelin's philosophy of myth is also considered, since myth, for Voegelin, is the precise symbolic instrument for the articulation of elemental mysteries. Written with minimal dependence on Voegelin's idiosyncratic terminology, Hughes's study attempts to introduce the reader to his philosophy in a way that indicates its importance for a deeper understanding of human existence. This book is aimed at students of Voegelin as well as theologians, cultural theorists and political scientists.