Science can be understood as fulfilling the cosmological function of mythology. Joseph Campbell (1988) identifies four basic functions of mythology:
- mystical: 'realising what a wonder the universe is, and what a wonder you are, and experiencing awe before this mystery';
- cosmological: 'the dimension with which science is concerned – showing you what shape the universe is, but showing it in such a way that the mystery again comes through';
- sociological: 'supporting and validating a certain social order'; and
- pedagogical: 'how to live a human lifetime under any circumstances'.
With modern science, the principal means of creating meanings of meanings shifted from lexical metaphor to grammatical metaphor.