Imo, it can be useful to consider that just because there is a descriptive term does not mean that there is anything that corresponds to it, and thus perhaps a mistake and a waste of time to look for it. And as well to consider the term itself.

The nature of a self-fulfilling prophecy (SFP) is to self-fulfill. Of course at first it is not an SFP, but merely a P, and being just a P and not an SFP, were it an SFP it would be automatically and immediately Fd. But it isn't, which implies that there is no such thing as an SFP. But there are things that can cause Ps seemingly to be fulfilled. In this sense a P is just a kind of prediction, so P can stand for prophecy and prediction interchangeably. And of course to be fulfilled requires something else, some additional ingredient, because no P by itself is efficacious with respect to its F.

It may be useful, in terms of understanding things that are and that happen in terms of what seems to have foreshadowed them in some sense, to think in a manner analogous to physicists with their theories of fields, a field being simply an appropriately laid out array of numbers, the numbers being indices of the probabilities of likely occurrences. And this matters because for the scientist this takes the place of notions of cause and effect, and saves them from having to try to account for just exactly how forces - causes - work.

One way to get a sense of these things is to pay attention to how other people act and live. If, e.g., I live in a field of fear, everything around me being weighted to frighten me in some way, then it is likely my life will be influenced by my fearfulness. Similarly with being distrustful, or unhappy, or any negative thing. And the negative influence appears to constrain and constrict, which makes sense because every encounter is aversive - your image of a "black hole" of fear being telling.

But the opposite for people who are happy, trusting, and not fearful. Their worlds seem to open before them in constant expansion. Can a person change? I leave that to you to answer. A first step it seems to me is to disabuse yourself of notions of SFPs and any ability they might have to control you.

Prophecy is a biblical term. The ancient prophets saw what was going on, interpreted it according to their belief-system and predicted an outcome.
" Look east: a great big empire is expanding this way. Way bigger than we can defend ourselves against. But our god should be able to protect us. The king was remiss in his observance of the religious rites and the god is miffed with us. Therefore the barbarians will win."

Prediction depends on several factors: accuracy of observation, knowledge of the characters of key players, reading of the societal trend, understanding of the prevailing circumstances and the probability of each likely outcome. A clever prophet, if he's adept in all those assessments, can then choose to report his prognostication straight, like the February groundhog, embellished like a sci-fi author, or spun according to the prophet's desired result.

In order to have a self-fulfilling prophecy, you'd need a predictor of great influence. Someone people listen to and adjust their actions accordingly. That's not a writer of fiction, nor an older brother who warns you of a peril you're courting, nor a scientist or jurist; that's a government spokesman or Nobel prize winning economist or revered media pundit... and even they are usually ignored.

Prophecies don't fulfill themselves. People act in predictable ways.

Personally, I have often wondered if my own black hole states of fear have triggered the manifestation of negative experience. — Jack Cummins

The negative experiences were going to happen anyway. Your state of mind may make it more difficult for you to deal with them. Under that, I wonder if there is a modicum of self-blame: "I was afraid this would happen, and now it's happened. Did I cause it?" No, you didn't cause it. You were alert enough to discern the probability and that's why you were afraid.

Through faith, as opposed to fear, is it possible to create desired ends individually and collectively? — Jack Cummins

I'm not aware of any situation in which this worked. The thing about faith is, it's never wrong - by definition. If it fails, doesn't bring about the desired result, it's because your faith wasn't strong enough: it's you fault. If the desired result is achieved, it's not to your credit; it's because faith enlisted the help of a deity, to whom you must now be grateful. Gods never lose; mortals never win. Faith is a sucker's game.

In a way, everything experienced through mind is a self fulfilling prophecy. Even those not easily noticed, because of volume or rate, most actions and feelings were triggered by a projection constructed out of signifying images formed by conditioning in Mind, and functioning as a code operating on the stimulus response system to trigger feeling and action. In every sense, my mind (already) made me do it. Or, that signifying image "I" (already) made me do it. So clearly saying something about yourself or someone over whom your code has influence, (I.e., your coding are structured to form easy bonds) will affect your feelngs, and behaviors by conditioning.

And when I seem to exercise free will and not do what the code tells so called me, that defiance still required code which my body responded to.

What makes "self fulfilling prophecy," function as a thing on the surface is, that's a place in History where code is generated to "refer" to the code which is surfacing and by conditioning, will end up triggering the responses (unless opposing code wins the dialectical battle and ends up surfacing as the trigger to displace the coding of the so called prophecy). Often the triggering code goes unnoticed as "code."

My point is, that self fulfilling prophecy is a thing, because we're always structuring our feelings and actions with code, present and future.

j
Yes, the term self-fulfilling prophesy is questionable, and, may in itself be open to philosophy scrutiny. It does arise in connection with fear and a culture of fear.

The issue may be about how the 'black hole' state affects causality, especially at the level of action. I know that I am guilty of 'black hole' negativity. Currently, I have been in a state as a result of reading too much news of Trump, Velensky and so much doom and gloom. Some of what I am reading may correspond with real threat, although there may be an element of disempowerment going on through a cultural manufacture of doom and gloom.

There is indeed a difference between the happy and unhappy person. The person in a state of doom and gloom may bring others down through negativity. On the other hand, the person who is happy may inspire others. Part of the area which I see as complex is the issue of whether ignoring the potential fear is about faith or blind faith, of burying one's head, hiding from troubles. Thinking about potential problems may be a way of thinking about them critically, or about magnifying them. This is the dilemma which I am concerned about and wonder about the issue of 'self- fulfilling prophecy' at the level of action and causality.

Your consideration of the idea of prophecy and prediction in connection with the nature of 'self- fulfilling prophecy' is very important. It does go back to the Old Testament times and comes with an element of belief in divination. Even those, such as Nostradamus, who predicted so much trouble around the time of the millennium, before and after, were believing in some kind of precognitive experiences. Many people do speak of such experiences, including precognitive dreams. There is the tension between such imaginary speculation and more 'scientific' aspects of prediction.

The factors involved in prediction which you mention are very important. But one book which I have found to be of significance is 'The Black Swan' by Nichols Taleb. His understanding of the irregularities of uncertainty is how the 'black swans' can be drawn upon and weaved into action positively. This may be an important element in self-fulfilling prophesy because it involves translation of potential uncertainties into action. This may be about intentionality at the level of working with detail in real life for desired outcomes. This may be done consciously, or occur unconsciously in a mindset of fear.

You say that there are no situations whereby faith has any power personally or collectively in bringing about desired ends, which does not make sense to me. Every time a desired end is thought of and actioned it involves a creative leap of faith. This is not bound up with religion but may involve some sense of being able to shape destiny. On the collective level, protest movements and the entire radical spirit( such as the 60s counterculture) may have been about a culture of faith inspired changes.

To what extent is it possible to shape the future by faith? — Jack Cummins

Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right — Henry Ford

Your mindset and belief in yourself can largely determine your success or failure in achieving a goal. If you believe you can do something, you are more likely to put in the effort to succeed, and vice versa.

Your belief, whether positive or negative, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, shaping your actions and ultimately the outcome.

Beliefs, including self belief, have such a determining role. It is central to a sense of empowerment and autonomy. This is recognised by the cognitive behavioral thinkers.

The whole idea of mindset was also expressed in the thinkers of the tradition of the 'law of attraction'. This tradition may be dismissed as 'folk wisdom' or pseudoscience. This may be related to lack of experimental proof and dismissal of what works, or does not, pragmatically.

I originally wrote this and shelved it in the lounge shortly afterwards, as I saw my post as incomplete. However, I have brought it back into the main section as I received some helpful replies. I also updated the title for clarity.

I was going to use the words 'faith and fear' in title today. However, that might lead to some confusion because I noticed a new thread on 'what is faith?'. That thread is extremely different from mine because it looks more at faith in a religious context, as opposed to fear vs faith on an existential basis.

Do the monsters of our fears transmogrify into real life?To what extent is? it possible to shape the future by faith? — Jack Cummins

Without overcomplicating it—confirmation bias makes us see the world in a way that reinforces our existing beliefs. If you believe people are bad and the world is dreadful, that's the reality you're likely to find.

My concern is that a word like "prophesy" is too totalising for a phenomenon that has some psychological truth to it but isn’t magically deterministic or predictive.

Through faith, as opposed to fear, is it possible to create desired ends individually and collectively? What do you think? — Jack Cummins

I would prefer "hope" to "faith", particularly in an existential context, but that's me. I think we need to be have some perspective on this phenomenon. We can enrich or destroy our lives based on choices we make and these are informed by temperament and beliefs. I'm just not sure how much power we have over these.

Don't we all know people whose lives are in tatters because of the way they see things and choose to react to their perceptions? Sometimes we can see so many ways out for them, so many alternative options which they seem unable to recognise.

It sounds as if you think that the idea of self-fulfilling prophesy makes sense in connection with life choices. I do too and see it as where phenomenology and existential choice come together.

Your idea of 'codes', especially in conjunction with history is also pertinent. It is about subtext and subliminal messages. It can be used by leaders and organisations as a form of manipulation, in advertising and the manufacturing of news. It is an aspect of 'dark psychology' and politics.

I am sure that many may dismiss the significance of such 'dark psychology' as of importance as a worthy philosophy concern. However, I see it as central to individual wellbeing and the future of the world. It can involve breaking of personal spirit and will. Too much 'bad news', especially in the form of news and social media may give rise to nihilism. Also, it may lead to 'mental illness', and physical illness, which has some psychosomatic basis.

The idea of 'confirmation bias' works better than 'prophesy' in some ways. That is because there is a lot of seeing so much as reflecting one's inherent beliefs. The one aspect of it as self- prophesy is as less static than confirmation bias. Belief may spiral and change within the processes of prophesies translating into what becomes manifest.

I can see why you see the idea of self-prophesy as evoking a conception of 'magic'. Ancient civilisations spoke of the 'evil eye' and 'voodoo'. Such perspectives were too concrete but that is not to deny that it is possible to kill through the transmission of negative subliminal messages . Of course, this would be the extreme end of a spectrum of less dire influence.

As regard to 'hope' versus 'faith', hope may be like the spark amidst darkness as a way through. I just wonder if it is too wishy washy and empty, like in Pandora's box. Faith is more affirmative about a mindset of achieving desired outcomes.

It does go back to the Old Testament times and comes with an element of belief in divination. — Jack Cummins

It goes back a good deal farther than the OT. People have been throwing sticks, consulting their ancestors, staring into fire, eating mushrooms and going into trances since before civilization. From the earliest civilizations, they made pictures in the stars, cut open chickens, tossed coins, inhaled smoke and went into trances. Having so much imagination, humankind is constantly uncertain, aware of the many possibilities resulting from any situation. We desire control over our lives and our environment. So we look for logical cause and effect chains, for patterns; we hypothesize and predict. We long for an intelligence behind the patterns - an intelligence like ours, with which we can communicate, which we can influence. Hence, prayer and prophecy, ritual and sacrifice.

Other animals don't do this. They are certain of their needs and desires and act on them, without the slightest doubt that they control their own actions, and nothing outside of themselves. Domestic animals are aware that humans control their environment and so try to influence the behaviour of their humans.

Prayer and prophecy have no effect on the universe; there is no almighty master in the sky. But the belief that prompts faith in higher powers or fate or fortune or destiny affects how we perceive things (what information we pay attention to, how accurately we assess the situation and our own capabilities) and how we respond (fight, flight, denial, strategy, subterfuge, surrender). Every time our soothsayers are perceptive enough to guage the likely outcome accurately and a prediction comes true (more or less; it's usually couched in ambiguous language, open to interpretation: mediums hedge their bets), we come to rely more on their prognostications. When they're wrong, we cope with whatever does happen, move on and forget. The same with dreams. Our brain keeps working when we're asleep, processing information we may not even realize we have, forming patters, calculating the odds and often coming up with an accurate projection. Those are the dreams of which we take notice, which we report to others. We ignore all the incidental memories, fantasies and surreal images our subconscious throws up.

Anxiety dreams are something else. They tell us less about the external world than our own abilities. We know what we're capable of and how much we can affect the environment. We know, even if we don't make an honest accounting when we're awake. Most o the people who had faith in their ability to traverse Niagara Falls died trying. Thousands are forgotten; only the 16 who survived were celebrated. Faith walks on water.

You say that there are no situations whereby faith has any power personally or collectively in bringing about desired ends, which does not make sense to me. Every time a desired end is thought of and actioned it involves a creative leap of faith. This is not bound up with religion but may involve some sense of being able to shape destiny. On the collective level, protest movements and the entire radical spirit( such as the 60s counterculture) may have been about a culture of faith inspired changes. — Jack Cummins

We may be using the term differently. I use faith to mean belief unfounded in observable fact. I use belief to mean assumptions based on experience and/or learning. I use trust to mean confidence in the truthfulness of a source of information, or the character of a person, based on personal knowledge. I use conviction to mean a philosophy regarding the world and one's relationship to it.
The concept of destiny is bound with the belief in a guiding principle or purpose to [human] life - which is contradictory to individuals shaping it. That's an eat-your-cake-and-have-it kind of idea held by most humans.

Protest movements are collective actions intended to bring about a change. Whether they succeed is not a matter of how much faith the participants have but how many and how persistent they are, on how strong and resolute the powers in office are: which side is able to intimidates the other. Certainly, it takes imagination to envision a more desirable state of affairs and hope of success to organize an effort to bring it about. It takes courage to oppose the ruling elite's enforcement agents.
Failed revolutions and their collateral damage are buried in unmarked graves and scholarly footnotes; the successful ones commemorated in statues, street names, annual holidays and history books. Just like the prophecies and dreams: their worth is measured only after the results are known.

It can be used by leaders and organisations as a form of manipulation, in advertising and the manufacturing of news — Jack Cummins

I dare say, even philosophy operates (under the veil of/using the mechanisms of reason) in that way. Never mind the word 'prophecy' and its so-called meaning associated with magic or the OT. If (some) Heidegger (-like figure) had employed the term in his/her hypothesis about the structure of human experience, no doubt there would be much less resistance to your thesis. Because 'Hypothetical-Heidegger's' thesis about self-fulfilling prophecy would have operated upon History (conditioning) such that its prophecy would be fulfilled. If Einstein hadn't prophesized that e=mc2, for humans today E still wouldn't equal mc squared. I realize how simplistic this sounds. Out of lack of competence or lethargy, I am not wording it in a way best structured to bond with the coding of others, especially here, where there are firewalls of logic and reason. But every idea we entertain, believe; and, therefore, every feeling we have and action we do (at least conventionally/adopted into history), began with a 'prophecy' which by its structure and repetition, ended up fulfilled (albeit necessarily temporarily, because the coding and its triggering is fluid)

I certainly think we can answer your questions in the affirmative. Here are just two historical examples:

First, being very interested in Marxism, I have read a lot of history focusing on communist movements. Here, activists' faith in the eventual triumph of communism, its inevitability, was often a potent force motivating their persistence in the face of adversity.

Second, many wars have been started because one side sees war as "inevitable" and also assumes that they will become weaker vis-á-vis their enemy in the future (due to shifting demographics, disparate economic growth, etc.). This sort of thinking played a role in the outset of the American Civil War, the Third Reich's decision to invade the Soviet Union, the Lebanese Civil War, the Japanese decision to strike Pearl Harbor, etc.

Essentially, the fear that war must come motivates people to actualize that very fear, hoping to start such a conflict on more favorable terms, rather than seeking to avoid a conflict, since they see time as "on the side of the enemy."

This sort of decision-making plays a key role in the tendency of "rising powers" to engage in wars with the dominant hegemon, what Graham Allison terms the "Thucydides Trap." Historically, it is rare for a hegemonic power to be replaced peacefully (although it does happen, e.g. the US and UK in North America—a few attempts to invade Canada aside lol*—and the US war with Spain to take on total hegemonic control of the Western Hemisphere was not particularly bloody.)

*One of the oddities of history is that, before other colonies even entered the Revolutionary War, New York and Massachusetts attempted a cross alpine winter invasion of Canada, and actually managed to sack Montreal. It always cracks me up to envisage the thinking that went into that one.

First, being very interested in Marxism, I have read a lot of history focusing on communist movements. Here, activists' faith in the eventual triumph of communism, its inevitability, was often a potent force motivating their persistence in the face of adversity. — Count Timothy von Icarus

And yet communism didn't triumph; the prophecy was never fulfilled. Communism exists, if it still does, in tiny pockets that have to deal with the capitalist world on its terms, not theirs. Moreover, those true believers were among the first victims of a system that called itself communist while it was, in fact a monetized oligarchy.

Essentially, the fear that war must come motivates people to actualize that very fear, hoping to start such a conflict on more favorable terms, rather than seeking to avoid a conflict, since they see time as "on the side of the enemy." — Count Timothy von Icarus

Appeasement has a very poor track record in the face of a determined aggressor.

Yes people act on both hope and fear, as well as anger, lust and greed. It takes no great acuity to predict that a corner animal will attack, but it's not the expectation that causes him to attack, its the imminent threat of death. Predicting that something that's happened a thousand times in similar circumstances will happen again doesn't cause it to happen, though it may cause people to prepare for that event.

I can see why you see the idea of self-prophesy as evoking a conception of 'magic'. — Jack Cummins

Which is why I raised the concept of scale. Confirmation bias is one thing, but this -

Do the monsters of our fears transmogrify into real life?To what extent is? it possible to shape the future by faith? — Jack Cummins

Could be interpreted as having more of a magical impact upon a life. The idea of monsters or shaping the future has quite an interpretive range. I don't think our fears can change time or conjure beasts, except in a poetic sense.

Dreams can be realised iff 1, they are realistic, and 2, they are enacted. On the one hand one cannot make fantasies real by the power of thought, and on the other the most detailed and well constructed plans still require materials and builders to bring them to fruition.

A self fulfilling prophesy is not the same as a good prediction. A prophesy can act to produce the future it predicts, as in the old joke:-
"I know what you're going to say next."

This is a trick one can play on oneself, or on others, but it is no more magical than an advertisement. People are influenced, and those who believe they are not, the more so. But when the next eclipse is predicted, it is not influenced by the prediction, the prediction is calculated from past observations, and orbits are stable.

Tracht gut vet zein gut.

@Hanover (I have had to reply this way as the reply feature on the site won't work for some reason.)

l will try to keep positive but do struggle to do so. I swing from extremes of negativity and positivity generally. I actually think that I have developed Covid in the last couple of days, which doesn't help. That is why I haven't replied to some of the posts above at the moment...

No worries. I hope you feel better.

Positivity is an ideology near and dear to me, central actually. From a secular perspective, it's referred to as a self fulfilling prophesy. It's the idea that one subconsciously lays the groundwork for change by thinking positive thoughts. It's the way to explain the magic that good things were created by apparent thought alone by assuming subtle actions consistent with that thought must have created it.

To suggest otherwise assumes the impossible, relying upon mysticism, that matters can be not just spoken into existence, but thought into existence.

My response to your moments of negativity is that they are there for good reason, indicating you are exactly where you ought to be. That is what is meant by having a positivity bias. All is seen from a positive perspective. Obviously there are limits, as the truly bad does happen, which is why I like the term "bias," as opposed to it being a requirement.

If for no other reason than pragmatism, why not accept a positive perspective if it will more reliably yield a positive result than being negative? That is, if one's positive perspective can create a more positive world, what is gained by not engaging?

Positivity, like most attitudes, is a choice.

I know that positive psychology is a strong movement, alongside cognitive techniques and mindfulness meditation. This is in contrast to psychoanalytical based therapies, which dig beneath the surface for past traumas. Both may have value and be complementary. Perhaps we need to rise above negativity into the positive but awareness of the negative sources is important.

It is probably the same with news, which I find a source of stress. We need to know what is going on in the world to be prepared but not let all the problems in the world become overwhelming.

One thing which I find is that some negative experiences may be an important stage in development. For example, I have a virus (which may or not be Covid) and it may be nature's way of allowing me to take time out and reflect. Even accidents may be about wake up calls from one's higher self, and I think that was how Bob Dylan viewed his motorbike accident many years ago. When I have broken bones, the recovery period can be seen as a way of drawing upon one's own inner resources in a positive way, which is about working with 'black swans'. For example, when I broke my elbow a couple of years ago, it was during this time that I rekindled my love of drawing which I had lost for about 5 years.

The inner world may be an important source and connection to imagination, whether this is seen as God or in a more secular view. I do have some sympathy for what Plato describes as the 'daimon', or higher self. You seem to dismiss prayer, prophecy, which alongside medication which may be essential aspects of the finetuning of subconscious depths. I am a little surprised by this as you write fiction which draws on mythic dimensions.

My understanding of prophecy is that it involves seeing patterns and correspondences. For example, astrology was about seeing reflections in the stars. I am a great believer in synchronicity. I also see parallels between inner and outer reality rather than dreams as being simply about the personal. We are all aspects of the cosmic web and are interconnected as systems within systems, the macrocosm and the microcosm.

I am a great believer in synchronicity. I also see parallels between inner and outer reality rather than dreams as being simply about the personal. We are all aspects of the cosmic web and are interconnected as systems within systems, the macrocosm and the microcosm. — Jack Cummins

Could it be in line with C G Jung's thoughts? Sychronicity, world soul and oneness in consciousness.

You seem to dismiss prayer, prophecy, which alongside medication which may be essential aspects of the finetuning of subconscious depths. I am a little surprised by this as you write fiction which draws on mythic dimensions. — Jack Cummins

The trick is to know the difference. I have no illusion that my stories, or wishes, or conversations with the ancestors, or dreams or supplications to the genie of the keyboard have any effect on the external world. Stories don't make me young or healthy; they don't reanimate the dead or erase my mistakes or change the course of elections.

Your inner life - dream-interpretation, meditation, mysticism, hallucination or divination - affects you, your attitudes, your approach to problem solving. That will certainly help to determine your reactions to external events; your actions will certainly have some effect on the outcomes. But you have no control over what the rest of the world throws at you, or what limits and constraints reality imposes on you.

It's nice to have a positive attitude - I usually do... or did until last fall. But if you're locked in a cell, waiting for deportation, parole hearing or execution, none of your hopeful ideation will bring about a sudden reversal. I know that's not our common experience, but for many thousands of people, it's their exact situation. For billions more, the range of possibility, the freedom of action, the scope of ambition is so limited by circumstance as to be invisible. They may be praying fervently, but Fate is just as deaf as any of our gods.

I am a believer in Jung's idea of synchronicity and have written on this site about it. The idea of synchronicity is about meaningful connections rather than causal ones. The patterns are observed by human consciousness. I first came across it when I was about 16 or 17 when I read Jung's autobiography and found it extremely helpful for making sense of inner experiences.

Do you not think that the mythic has any power on outer life?Of course, every human being only has so much power and influence.

One aspect of the influence is positivity and negativity in the social sphere. I know that others respond so differently according to my own mindset. If I am in a negative mood it impacts on my relationships and outer life. Mindset may have a real affect in influencing so much which happens in outer life. It also has the power to demoralise or inspire others. It creates ripple consequences.

I am speaking of the transmogrication of fear into monsters on a metaphorical level. It is like inner demons. But such forces have a numinous power in effects.

Your way of differentiating between predictions and self-fulfilling prophesies is worth considering. Predictions are careful calculations. The potential to turn them into actions is more complex, unless one has a sense of the inevitability of destiny. For example, a nihilistic approach to what is likely to happen may affect it, as in hopelessness and giving up. It may involve the fight or flight mode and the way we face obstacles and adversity.

Do you not think that the mythic has any power on outer life? — Jack Cummins

No. Dance all you want, it won't rain in a drought; no sacrifice of goats will prevent a volcano from erupting; no consultation of the oracle halts an invading army. Civilizations have died believing in those methods.

One aspect of the influence is positivity and negativity in the social sphere. I know that others respond so differently according to my own mindset. — Jack Cummins

Again, no. They respond to your words and actions. Your positive or negative mindset affects your words and actions, but the thoughts end at the pia membrane of brain. It's easy to attribute effects to the wrong cause: you're aware of your state of mind from the subjective side; other people become aware of it through how you express your state of mind.

Mindset may have a real affect in influencing so much which happens in outer life. It also has the power to demoralise or inspire others. It creates ripple consequences. — Jack Cummins

On a very small, intimate scale, this is true: you show what you're thinking through facial expression and body language, even without speaking, and that demeanour has an effect on the world immediately around you. Within very strict limits. Try, when you're feeling down, dispiriting an exuberant drunk. Try inspiring someone who is tone deaf to compose a symphony.

Right now, my own mood is quite buoyant: I've done the chore I wasn't looking forward to; there is a loaf baking in the bread machine; I have an idea for a short story that might be appropriate for a contest; there is a new episode of Vera on public tv tonight. OTOH, I don't think any of these happy thoughts will save a single species of butterfly from extinction. And the opinion I'm expressing here will certainly be read as negativity, which is unfortunate, but I'm not letting it get me down.

Have a read of Confirmable and Influential Metaphysics by J. W. N. Watkins, or see the old thread.

Myths that are "haunted universe doctrines", are an inevitable influence on our lives, their logical structure preventing their being either confirmed or falsified. "although these doctrines cannot be proved or refuted they can be criticised and weighed".