I have no idea who Zenkat 2 is, much less the original pagan panelist, but here are some plausible suggestions about what she might have been thinking:
She was trying to say that her story about the Primordial Cow was the most emotionally satisfying story currently available on the topic of “where do we come from?”
She did not explicitly describe her story as false because this makes a story less emotionally satisfying.
She believed that telling false stories as if they were true is not necessarily a mark of an inferior scientist—some people can effectively compartmentalize, and it would be reckless to insist (without evidence) that all such people would be more productive if they forced themselves to adopt rational modes of thinking in all aspects of their life.
Creation myths could be a common but accidental byproduct of the evolutionarily advantageous ability to develop stories (improves communication), the urge to complete stories (improves curiosity), and the urge to build community (i.e., the relevant in-group shares a common origin and should act like kin; improves cooperation). Alternatively, the cooperation-improving function of a really good creation myth might be part of the cause of its ubiquity.
I have no idea who Zenkat 2 is, much less the original pagan panelist, but here are some plausible suggestions about what she might have been thinking:
She was trying to say that her story about the Primordial Cow was the most emotionally satisfying story currently available on the topic of “where do we come from?”
She did not explicitly describe her story as false because this makes a story less emotionally satisfying.
She believed that telling false stories as if they were true is not necessarily a mark of an inferior scientist—some people can effectively compartmentalize, and it would be reckless to insist (without evidence) that all such people would be more productive if they forced themselves to adopt rational modes of thinking in all aspects of their life.
Creation myths could be a common but accidental byproduct of the evolutionarily advantageous ability to develop stories (improves communication), the urge to complete stories (improves curiosity), and the urge to build community (i.e., the relevant in-group shares a common origin and should act like kin; improves cooperation). Alternatively, the cooperation-improving function of a really good creation myth might be part of the cause of its ubiquity.
Thanks