Professor Joseph Campbell, 1904 - 1987, was a hugely influential writer and thinker in comparative religion and mythology. For young people like me in the 1970s, his 1949 book Hero with a Thousand Faces was required reading and the subject of long, pot-infused discussions. Campbell, who coined the phrase “follow your bliss”, had an enormous impact on not only serious scholarly thought, but popular cultural as well. One of his most important journeys occurred in 1924, when Campbell traveled to Europe with his family. On the return voyage, he encountered the messiah-elect of the Theosophical Society Jiddu Krishnamurti. They had deep discussions about Indian philosophy which sparked Campbell’s interest in Hindu and Indian thought. Intellectually, he was on a path that would bring him fame - and criticism as well.
© 2024 John Oliver
Substack is the home for great culture