Strenski/ How to do things, 7. Taking Responsibility for the Concept of “Myth”

Arriving at a definition of myth is a creative, constructive effort, not a passive act of discovery. Following Richard Rorty’s “pragmatist” approach to conceptualization, the success of such a definition depends on how well it fits the use to which we seek to out the concept. Beginning with a grasp of the ordinary, everyday meaning of myth as ‘story,’ what kind of story merits being called a “myth”?