Karen Armstrong's Essay 'Homo Religiosus'

Internal forces can have great effects on human behavior, but how do the external forces influence human behavior? One could be influenced by internal forces such as morals and values, on the contrary, the external forces of society can also influence and shape human behavior in distinct ways. In “Homo Religiosus” by Karen Armstrong, the essay tries to show the relation of myth, religion, and art, and how they have changed over time with society. In “The Mega-Marketing of Depression in Japan” by Ethan Watters, the essay talks about how pharmaceutical companies are trying to establish the disease of the depression in Japan, but they are not doing it for the needs of the others but rather for the benefit of themselves. In today’s technologically

These companies made it seem like they were there to help. That is one thing that both Armstrong and Watters share in common; the fact that in both cases the stories would bring a sense of hope to people. Although they share this conventional idea, the sense of hope given deviates between arguments. Armstrong’s argument brings about a good sense of hope allowing boys to believe in their religion and their greater Being. Adversely, Watters argument is more like what the new does when they try to spread hope, with the intent to deceive the people. In Watters argument, the pharmaceutical companies do not care about giving the Japanese people hope, but rather just selling their medicine and making money for themselves. The news on the other hand, can take into account both what Armstrong and Watters say. The news can spread a good sense of hope sometimes, but most of the time the news tends to fall in line with what GlaxoSmithKline is doing to the Japanese people. Armstrong and Watters share common-ground on certain ideas, although they have two different meanings; conversely, the news can mean both ideas, but it tends to take the meaning of a false sense of hope in order to make money or sell a

Armstrong states, “today people who no longer find it in a religious setting resort to other outlets: music, dance, art, sex, drugs, or sports” (Armstrong 7). Armstrong suggests that people today do not find the need nor the ability to use the traditional means of religion,but instead they rely on other outlets to suffice this sense of religious meaning. For example, the news can not just tell the people the news anymore. They have to twist the truth just to sell the story instead of telling the people what actually happened. Watters states, “The American market, with it’s the brand recognition, high rates of prescriptions… and free market pricing, was seen as the most modern and advanced of markets. Japan was fifteen years behind the United States, executives would say. Or China was five years behind Japan” (Watters 528). Watters insinuates that GlaxoSmithKline is trying to impose the dominance of the American market on the Japanese people because they are so technologically deprived. Although the United States is technologically advanced, it can sometimes be harmful and the Japanese and Chinese are better off technically deprived. China and Japan are both at least fifteen years behind the United States, but yet they are still dominant powers considering their so-called lack of technological advancements. The news should have stayed back in the technologically deprived