Information AboutEtiology |
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Origin and usage of term The term (deriving from the Greek words ''aitia'' = cause and ''logos'' = word/speech) is used in Philosophy , Physics , Psychology , and Biology in reference to the causes of various phenomena. It is generally the study of why things occur, or even the reasons behind the way that things act. Explanation In s and explains several methods used to study causation. Historical In Biblical criticism, etiologies give theological explanations for names or occurrences. Example: the story of Lot's Wife in Genesis 19 (specifically 26) explains why there are pillars of salt in the area of the Dead Sea . (see notes in Oxford Annotated Edition, Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1973) An aetiological myth is a Myth intended to explain a name. For example, the name '' Delphoi '' and its associated deity, '' Apollon Delphinios '', are explained in the Homeric Hymn which tells how Apollo carried Cretans over the sea in the shape of a Dolphin to make them his priests. While there is an actual etymological connection between ''Delphoi'' and ''delphis'' (''delphus'' means "womb"), many aetiological myths are based on Popular Etymology (the term " Amazon ", for example). An example of the word in use: :"...there is on the other a tendency to attribute all diseases of unknown aetiology to 'viruses'. In some ways, it is similar to possession by demons in medieval times, and we could make a case for the virus as a 'demon'", from the Foreword of the book ''Perfumery'', edited by G. H. Dodd and C. Van Toller, 1986. |