Master Narrative
An Avatar.Global Resource
Master Narrative
A Master Narrative is a grand and transhistorical narrative "that is deeply embedded in a particular culture." [1]
Syncretic Terms
Related LP Terms
Master Narrative > Archetype Deck, Archetype System, Archetypes, Conceptual Framework, Symbol, System Architect
Non-LP Related Terms
Notes
Master narratives contain "powerful persuasive messages that not only resonate or “ring true,” but also compel a certain level of ideological identifi cation, behaviour, and actions."[2]
Master narratives are broadly accepted, readily understood and identified with, and rarely questioned.
Master narratives provide humans with meaning. They 'spring...from the nature of human beings to interpret the world around them through stories, ranging from the most abstract ideas of good and evil, to the use of those ideas to structure relations between humans, to the use of communication to conduct those relationships.'[3]
Master narratives do not emerge out of the primordial muck of consciousness. Neither are they epiphenomenal outgrowths of humanity's propensity to find meaning. Master narratives are deliberately created by elites who co-opt, colonize, control, and reshape the work of mystics and creatives into narratives that support their economic and political agendas. For example, a master narrative that casts God as a genocidal bully enables colonial violence, war, and control.[4]
On the LP, a master narrative is known as a Creation Template, a term that better highlights the intentional nature of master narratives. Creation templates are created to shape thinking, which shapes behaviour, which shapes reality.[5]
The western master narrative (a.k.a. Creation Template) is a colonial narrative that enables colonial, capitalist, violence. It is rooted in ancient Zoroastrian archetypes (see Zoroastrian Frame).
Hayao Miyazaki criticizes the western master narrative, saying, quite correctly, that it enables violence, war, and genocide.[6]
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Footnotes
- ↑ Halverson, Jeffry R., H. L. Goodall, and Steven R. Corman. Master Narratives of Islamist Extremism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. p. 15.
- ↑ Halverson, Jeffry R., H. L. Goodall, and Steven R. Corman. Master Narratives of Islamist Extremism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. p. 13.
- ↑ Halverson, Jeffry R., H. L. Goodall, and Steven R. Corman. Master Narratives of Islamist Extremism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. p. 15.
- ↑ Sosteric, Mike. “From Zoroaster to Star Wars, Jesus to Marx: The Art, Science, and Technology of Human Manipulation,” Unpublished. https://www.academia.edu/34504691.
- ↑ Sosteric, Mike. “A Short Sociology of Archetypes,” 2020. https://www.academia.edu/44254363/
- ↑ Nosa. “Why Hayao Miyazaki Hates Lord of the Rings and Other Hollywood Movies.” Fansided, 2022. https://hiddenremote.com/2022/04/18/hayao-miyazaki-hates-lord-of-the-rings/.