If no other knowledge deserves to be called useful but that which helps to enlarge our possessions or to raise our station in society, then Mythology has no claim to the appellation.

Thus we hope to teach mythology not as a study, but as a relaxation from study to give our work the charm of a story-book, yet by means of it to impart a knowledge of an important branch of education.

The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable.

Take the decision in early March to arrest Muqtada al-Sadr. It was made apparently without knowledge or understanding of the nature of his movement or how widespread it is.

Our working hypothesis is that the status of knowledge is altered as societies enter what is known as the postindustrial age and cultures enter what is known as the postmodern age.