The dark, benighted ancients had somehow to explain the world they lived in. Since they couldn’t explain everything they saw within themselves or even outside themselves through simple material causes, they developed sophisticated mythologies, none richer and more continuously useful than the Greek (one evidence of this is that the Romans pretty well just adopted it “in toto” as they would say).
One wonders: could they not have come up with simpler explanations?
One also wonders: do our modern materialistic myths explain everything the ancient myths explain? I remain unconvinced.
By explain, I don’t mean “reduce to a formula that I can get my head around.” I mean, “provide avenues of further insight into the object of our thought.” I don’t believe reality can be explained by reductions that make it fit our heads. Since nobody else does after high school, it seems safe to say that.
