Seeking reason and rebirth: Jungian archetypes, scientism, and a question about transhumanism

Abstract

Attempts to make Carl Gustav Jung’s theory of archetypes scientifically credible tend to invoke biology and evolution theory. These convey faith in the power of science (scientism), taken here as a cultural metanarrative. The essay provides a critical appraisal of both biology-oriented and culture-oriented trends in Jungian studies, and steers the conceptualization of archetypes towards issues of embodied subjectivity and narrativity. Thematic parallels between transhumanism, on the one side, and the rebirth archetype as described by Jung, on the other, serve as a case in point.