Impact of Classical Mythology on the Modern Science

Abstract

The popularity of Classical mythology has gradually increased in contemporary society. The narrative revolving around classical mythology can be seen as unrealistic fancy flights used by the ancient Greeks, but it has been influential and greatly impacted modern science. It is evident that classical myths are not formed from experimental results and thus not actual realities but have successfully shaped contemporary scientific skills and knowledge. Classical mythology, comprising the captivating stories of heroes and gods, not only entertains but also has left a long-lasting impact on understanding and applying scientific knowledge. The information and knowledge from Classical mythology have subtly influenced modern science. It has shaped most scientific discoveries and even formed the basis of the principles used to define scientific concepts. The research paper examines the impact of classical mythology on modern science by exploring the impact on the universe’s origin, weather and natural phenomena, healing and medicine, navigation and astronomy, communication and language, modern hydrology, and analogies and metaphors.

Keywords: Classical mythology, the universe’s origin, modern science, astronomy and navigation, healing and medicine.

Introduction

Since ancient times, humans have attempted to create a sense of the natural world surrounding them. When looking at strange things that happen or natural disasters occur, individuals naturally search for explanations before contemporary science. Finding the explanation before consulting modern science implies that sometimes, back then, people had to search for the explanation on their own without science. Even though Classical mythology can now seem hard to believe and outlandish, it was the basis and what provided the cause of different natural phenomena just before modern science involved day and night subjects, volcanoes, and whirlpools.

Myths such as Classical mythology have been consulted to discuss and describe each aspect of science, from simple concepts such as rain and wind to complex concepts including the Northern Lights and the solar eclipses. Auroras happen when charged particles established along the Earth’s magnetic field connect with the Earth’s upper surface gases (Haarmann, 2015). Classical mythology and its captivating stories of heroes and gods surpass its course of mere entertainment. Classical mythology has an incredible mark on the modern world’s scientific knowledge fabric. From the origins of the natural universe up to the navigation and medicine intricacies, the influence and impact of Classical mythology can be observed and explained in the modern science foundations.

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Universe Origins

One of the significant aspects of classical mythology’s impact and influence on contemporary world science is mythology’s contribution to the general understanding of the universe’s origins. Classical mythology, with its rich narratives and tapestry of creation stories and gods, was the foundation of early civilizations and scientific revolution through discussing and explaining how the natural universe started to exist. Even though the narratives were not scientifically accurate, they laid the foundation and sparked curiosity for the cosmology study. The initial cosmologies were founded on creation myths where one or more than one deity created the universe or globe out of bodily fluids and also from the god’s carcass they triumphed. For instance, the chaos myth explained a primordial void where everything emerged. The mentioned concept relating to the formless void influenced the ancient philosophers and astronomers to examine and identify the view of a natural universe that started from nothingness.

Furthermore, the creation narrative of the Olympian and Titan gods led to the succession concept of ruling powers that paralleled the development and discovery of the Big Bang Theory. According to the Big Bang Theory, about 13.7 billion years ago, each aspect of the world was condensed into an infinitesimally small singularity, a point related to infinite heat and density (Rainey, 2021). Abruptly, an explosive expansion emerged, which ballooned the whole universe outwards much faster than light’s speed. The influence of classical mythology on modern science is not limited to scientific concepts since the naming of celestial universe bodies, including constellations and planets, always originates from classical mythology.

The planet Venus, for example, was named after the love and beauty of the Roman goddess, and the constellation Orion is said to have