--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Myths, whether in written or visual form…" description: "\"Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking unanswerable questions and providing unquestionable answers. Most of us, most of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/michael-shermer-2567_age_myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form_1557725.jpg" --- # Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital… ![“Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking unanswerable questions and providing unquestionable answers. Most of us, most of the time, have a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. We want to reduce the cognitive dissonance of not knowing by filling the gaps with…” quote by Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/michael-shermer-2567_age_myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form_1557725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/michael-shermer-2567_age_myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form_1557725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/michael-shermer-2567_age_myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form_1557725.jpg) > “Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking unanswerable questions and providing unquestionable answers. Most of us, most of the time, have a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. We want to reduce the cognitive dissonance of not knowing by filling the gaps with answers. Traditionally, religious myths have served that role, but today — the age of science — science fiction is our mythology.” [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Myths help us cope with uncertainty by framing unanswerable questions and offering definitive answers, especially in modern sci‑fi culture. **In simple terms:** Myths give certainty in uncertainty. Key Takeaway Embrace ambiguity, seek evidence. Themes uncertainty myths science fiction psychology Mood curious reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - personal decision‑making - creative writing - media analysis - education - public discourse Key Concepts cognitive dissonance meaning making cultural narratives Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle uncertainty without myth? - What role should science fiction play in shaping values? A Different Perspective Myths can oversimplify complex issues, leading to dogma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) [Cognitive dissonance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognitive-dissonance/) [Dissonance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissonance/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Filling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filling/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Gaps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaps/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Mythology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythology/) [Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myths/) [Myths Served](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myths-served-5837355/) [Myths Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myths-written-5837356/) [Not knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-knowing/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-myths-2025795/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance/) [Unanswerable Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unanswerable-questions-2071706/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) [Visuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visuals/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [After a while, if you're committed, you start to believe in the things in which you're praying. It's just cognitive dissonance. You can't live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs-2/after-a-while-if-you-re-committed-you-start-to-believe-in-the-things/) [A. J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs-2/) > [Every single day the world seems like it is on the brink of falling apart. But then I look outside my window, and things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/every-single-day-the-world-seems-like-it-is-on-the-brink-of-falling/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [“Did you ever hear of cognitive dissonance?” she asked. “No.” “Basically, it’s a theory that people subconsciously reinterpret their motives and actions in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-a-shapiro/did-you-ever-hear-of-cognitive-dissonance-she-asked-no-basically-it-s/) [Barbara A. Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-a-shapiro/) > [“The vast majority of Americans, at all coordinates of the economic spectrum, consider themselves middle class; this is a deeply ingrained, distinctly American cognitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-cushing/the-vast-majority-of-americans-at-all-coordinates-of-the-economic/) [Ellen Cushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-cushing/) > [“When there is inconsistency in belief and action (such as being violated by someone who is supposed to love you) our mind has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosenna-bakari/when-there-is-inconsistency-in-belief-and-action-such-as-being/) [Rosenna Bakari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosenna-bakari/) > [“Because of propaganda induced cognitive dissonance, most people hate themselves and don't even know it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/because-of-propaganda-induced-cognitive-dissonance-most-people-hate/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I believe that I have created a lot of cognitive dissonance in the minds of people who are comfortable with stereotypes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-believe-that-i-have-created-a-lot-of-cognitive-dissonance-in-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [True believers are continually shown by reality that their god doesn't exist, but have developed extensive coping mechanisms to deal with this cognitive dissonance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-thomas/true-believers-are-continually-shown-by-reality-that-their-god-doesn/) [Mark Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-thomas/) > [“He had very few doubts, and when the facts contradicted his views on life, he shut his eyes in disapproval.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/he-had-very-few-doubts-and-when-the-facts-contradicted-his-views-on/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [ You'll be pleased to hear, Christopher, that I am no longer a Muslim liberal but an atheist \[…\] I find that it obviates the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/you-ll-be-pleased-to-hear-christopher-that-i-am-no-longer-a-muslim/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [It's a shame cars don't run on cognitive dissonance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/it-s-a-shame-cars-don-t-run-on-cognitive-dissonance/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism. It is not a creed. Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-position-that-leaves-me-with-no-cognitive-dissonance-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When a person believes one thing but chooses or is forced to advocate its opposite, the result is cognitive dissonance. Eventually, in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/when-a-person-believes-one-thing-but-chooses-or-is-forced-to-advocate/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“cognitive dissonance is”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/cognitive-dissonance-is/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [Frankly, I see a lot of little girls dressed in ways I think are not very appropriate. It's too much too soon, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/frankly-i-see-a-lot-of-little-girls-dressed-in-ways-i-think-are-not/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Michael Shermer > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“According to Dembski, for example, “scientific creationism has prior religious commitments whereas intelligent design does not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/according-to-dembski-for-example-scientific-creationism-has-prior/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [The first-cause and prime-mover argument, brilliantly proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas in the fourteenth century (and brilliantly refuted by David Hume in the eighteenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/the-first-cause-and-prime-mover-argument-brilliantly-proffered-by-st/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Mind is just a word we use to describe neural activity in the brain. No brain, no mind. We know this because if a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/mind-is-just-a-word-we-use-to-describe-neural-activity-in-the-brain/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Through no divine design or cosmic plan, we have inherited the mantle of life's caretaker on the earth, the only home we have ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/through-no-divine-design-or-cosmic-plan-we-have-inherited-the-mantle/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [I always accepted the libertarian position of minimum regulation in the sale and use of firearms because I placed guns under the beneficial rubric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-always-accepted-the-libertarian-position-of-minimum-regulation-in/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [If spirituality is the sense of awe and humility in the face of the creation, what could be more awesome and humbling than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/if-spirituality-is-the-sense-of-awe-and-humility-in-the-face-of-the/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [We know evolution happened not because of transitional fossils such as A. natans but because of the convergence of evidence from such diverse fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/we-know-evolution-happened-not-because-of-transitional-fossils-such/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Yet basically, libertarians are for freedom and liberty for individuals, while recognizing that in order to be free we must also be protected. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/yet-basically-libertarians-are-for-freedom-and-liberty-for/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Scientists like Bjorn Lomborg in The Skeptical Environmentalist have, in my opinion, properly nailed environmental extremists for these exaggerated scenarios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/scientists-like-bjorn-lomborg-in-the-skeptical-environmentalist-have/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [When religious believers invoke miracles and acts of creation ex nihilo, that is the end of the search for them, whereas for scientists, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/when-religious-believers-invoke-miracles-and-acts-of-creation-ex/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Darwin matters because evolution matters. Evolution matters because science matters. Science matters because it is the preeminent story of our age, an epic saga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/darwin-matters-because-evolution-matters-evolution-matters-because/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [What can be more soul shaking than peering through a 100-inch telescope at a distant galaxy, holding a 100-million-year-old fossil or a 500,000-year-old stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/what-can-be-more-soul-shaking-than-peering-through-a-100-inch/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Skepticism is not a position that you stake out ahead of time and stick to no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/skepticism-is-not-a-position-that-you-stake-out-ahead-of-time-and/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Neuroscientist David Comings drew out the larger implications of such hallucinations for the relationship between our rational and spiritual brains: The psychedelic drugs like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/neuroscientist-david-comings-drew-out-the-larger-implications-of-such/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) [Explore all 160 Michael Shermer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking unanswerable questions and providing unquestionable answers. Most of us, most of the time, have a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. We want to reduce the cognitive dissonance of not knowing by filling the gaps with answers. Traditionally, religious myths have served that role, but today — the age of science — science fiction is our mythology.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Shermer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form-serve-a-vital-role-of-asking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form-serve-a-vital-role-of-asking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/michael-shermer-2567_age_myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form_1557725.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/michael-shermer-2567_age_myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form_1557725.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/michael-shermer-2567_age_myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form_1557725.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking unanswerable questions and providing…” — Michael Shermer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Shermer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Myths, whether in written or visual...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form-serve-a-vital-role-of-asking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/myths-whether-in-written-or-visual-form-serve-a-vital-role-of-asking/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```