Theory in Action, Vol. 1, No. 4, October 2008 (© 2008) DOI:10.3798/tia.1937-0237.08021 114 Legitimizing Myth and the Search for Meaning Ali Shehzad Zaidi 1 This paper examines the process of mystification that accompanies new paradigms, and discusses such contemporary legitimizing myths as The Myth of the Magic of the Market, The Myth of the Inefficient Public Sector, The Myth of the Objective Media, and The Myth of American Exceptionalism. While these legitimizing myths limit our understanding of the world, liberating myths such as The Rainbow Warrior are needed to address our spiritual and ecological crises. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2008 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.] KEYWORDS: Myth, Theodore Adorno, John Berger, Roland Barthes, Thomas Kuhn, Paradigms, Free Market, Media, American Exceptionalism. The writers cited in this paper show us the hidden center or vantage point from which we view the world. The frame through which we perceive what we imagine to be reality contains myths that condition our view. While myths confer purpose and meaning on human activity and justify existing patterns of belief and behavior, they can also impede the quest for truth. The task of the critical thinker is to question and challenge the myths that govern our lives, while seeking to create new paradigms for the purpose of further articulation and inquiry. Myths may evoke events in a distant past, justify the privileges of a social class, conceal the crimes of empire, or shape the future. However, 1 Ali Shehzad Zaidi, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Spanish in the Department of Humanities at the State University of New York at Canton. Address correspondence to: Ali Shehzad Zaidi, Department of Humanities, Faculty Office Building 511, State University of New York, Canton, New York 13617; e-mail: zaidia@canton.edu. Acknowledgements: My deepest appreciation goes to Professor Timothy Walters who introduced me to some of the writers cited here. 1937-0229 ©2008 Transformative Studies Institute