To most, myths are merely fantastic stories. But for Luc Brisson, one of the great living Plato scholars, myth is a key factor in what it means to be human – a condition of life for all. Essential and inescapable, myth offers a guide for living, forming the core of belonging and group identity.

In 1999 Quebec classicist Louis-André Dorion published a series of French conversations with Brisson on the idea of myth. In Making Sense of Myth Gerard Naddaf offers an extended and updated English translation of these conversations, as well as a new set of discussions between himself and Brisson. Beginning with Brisson's childhood in the village of Saint-Esprit, Quebec, through his education as a gifted child in minor seminaries starting at age eleven, and continuing with his years in Paris, first as a graduate student and later at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Brisson tells the story of his escape from an all-encompassing myth – the one promulgated by the Roman Catholic Church. The philosopher situates Quebec society as inseparable from the history of the Catholic Church in Quebec, and argues that this correlation offers a perfect paradigm of myth and mythmaking. Naddaf’s introduction and afterword contextualize the conversations by discussing Brisson’s and Plato’s understanding of the origin and meaning of myth, elaborating on the role of myth in anthropogeny, in the creation of selfhood, and in multiculturalism.

Making Sense of Myth promises both a philosophy of myth and a philosophy of life, one inspired by Brisson’s lifelong engagement with the great Western philosopher Plato.

Gerard Naddaf is professor emeritus of philosophy and senior scholar at York University.

Gerard Naddaf's profile page

Louis-André Dorion's profile page

“Through interviews spanning a quarter of a century, Making Sense of Myth offers a meticulous, sensitive oral history of Luc Brisson, one of the leading philosophical and literary minds of our time. In the background looms the legendary mythmaker Plato, who saw that while myth must be amenable to reason (or else not be worthy of belief), reason must ultimately resort to myth as a basis for presentation. Life, it turns out, imitates this dialectic: we outgrow old mythologies only to replace them with newer, more sophisticated ones. Naddaf's expert introduction and afterword situate Brisson’s life within the changing cultural and intellectual climate of Quebec and Paris, and within the theoretical landscape of ancient Greek myth and philosophy.” Rick Benitez, University of Sydney

“There is no better introduction to a contemporary reading of Plato and Platonism than these conversations with Luc Brisson, originally conducted in French with Louis-André Dorion, and now thoughtfully translated, introduced, expanded, post-faced, and copiously annotated by Gerard Naddaf. In the intimacy of a friendly dialogue, the reader is introduced to the life story of a scholar, from his early days in postwar rural French Canada to his many decades at the heart of French intellectual life. In these pages you will find an exploration of Brisson’s works and ideas, his search in Plato for the origins of our culture, and his return to the source where science and myth are deeply intertwined.” Arnaud Macé, University of Franche-Comté

“This is an original work addressed to both specialists and non-specialists that will capture readers’ imaginations. Here they will discover through Brisson’s fascinating personal narration that the experience lived by each of us is often ‘unconsciously’ motivated by myths that ultimately govern and guide our lives and thoughts. The conversations cover a wide range of Brisson’s ingenious and influential research, including the origin of bisexuality and why the Big Bang will only ever be a likely story. Readers are treated to insightful observations on the Quebec psyche and the myths, past and present, that nurture and sustain it. In his compelling afterword, Naddaf convincingly traces myth as a sociobiological phenomenon and shows how the influence of culture on the human psyche led to a new kind of consciousness that culminated with the birth of philosophy and science and the famous clash between myth and reason, which, for Brisson, is really only an illusion.” Michel Fattal, University of Grenoble

“Naddaf brings us a fascinating and illuminating exploration of the indispensable role of myth and storytelling in human life and society by way of this interview-cum-memoir, tracing the life and intellectual trajectory of Luc Brisson, one of the most prominent philosophers of his generation. Moving from Brisson’s early years in small-town Quebec to his decades immersed in the Parisian academic scene, we gain a first-person impression of his emerging understanding of the role of both myth and reason – mythos and logos – in forming humanity, individuals and communities, across time.” Ronald Polansky, Duquesne University and editor of Ancient Philosophy

“In Making Sense of Myth, Platonic scholar and anthropologist Luc Brisson offers a range of insights into the mythology of his life and intellectual formation, describing how he became conscious of the role and even the mythical nature of the Catholic Church in Quebec society, as well as his decades-long immersion in Parisian academic and intellectual circles. But the conversations move well beyond these biographical aspects to include a detailed engagement with the concept of myth more generally, which Brisson locates in the very essence of human life. With his helpful annotations and detailed afterword, Gerard Naddaf further traces myth’s part in human evolution and contextualizes Brisson’s considerable contributions to Platonic scholarship and thought.” Michael Erler, Julius-Maximilians – Universität Würzburg

“The conversations in Making Sense of Myth move beyond the biographical to include Brisson's reflections on the topics he has studied so long and so influentially. One of the great merits of the book is that it contextualizes Brisson's work within the Canadian and Parisian culture and politics of his time, while Naddaf's discussion of myth as a way of understanding not just traditional tales but also religions and political systems adds an interesting dimension to the discourse.” Radcliffe Edmonds, Bryn Mawr College, and author of Myths of the Underworld Journey: Plato, Aristophanes, and the “Orphic” Gold Tablets