Epistemology in Myth

During our first class, we discussed epistemology and the difference between empiricism and rationalism. An empiricist would claim that knowledge comes a posteriori, or after a sense experience. In other words, we are unable to know things without having first experienced them. On the other end of the spectrum, a rationalist would claim that we are able to know things a priori, or before a sense experience. In this way, we would be able to know things without having first experienced them.
Using myth – as seen in Lewis’s works – we are able to use a combination of empiricism and rationalism to find a deeper understanding of our reality. Through myth, we can “experience” reality through another perspective, which gives us a deeper a posteriori understanding based on this “experience.” However, myth does not simply give us the answers to all our questions about reality. Rather, myth supplements what we already know and allows us to piece together the rest a priori. In this way, empiricism and rationalism work together within myth.