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# Re: superstition

#### Message 02664 of 3835

- To: BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com
- Subject: Re: superstition
- From: "Regulus Magus" <RegulusMagus@...>
- Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2004 18:53:05 -0000
- In-reply-to: <ca1qu2+f5id@eGroups.com>
- User-agent: eGroups-EW/0.82

    --- In BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com, "danerebor" <hornedfox@h...>
    wrote:
    > Here's a question for the list:
    > How does one delineate superstition from reality? Can magical or
    > karmic precautions become paranoia or obsession?
    >
    > Dan :)

    Dear Dan:

    As always, a good question! In my view, a superstition is essentially
    a false opinion about cause and effect. If you go to a bowling alley
    it is common to see bowlers make all kinds of strange body gestures
    (usually combined with a chant such as "Come on; come on!") in order
    to Will the ball to move a little to the right or left. Although such
    bowling rituals are common, they aren't quite superstitions. A person
    holding a superstition will usually be willing to expend effort
    defending the belief. This is because the belief has psychological
    value to the one who holds it. So a superstition is an inaccurate
    opinion about cause and effect combined with an emotional investment
    in sustaining the belief.

    Some of the most important contributions of science have been the
    idea of objective proof as well as the idea that it is possible to
    achieve a consensus about the nature of reality. Magical thinking, on
    the other hand, maintains that at least some aspects of reality are
    inherently subjective and moreover Will and Emotion can and do change
    the nature of physical reality.

    So if my cousin Eric believes that wearing his "lucky socks" will
    make it more likely that his favorite sports team will win then his
    belief may indeed exert a very minor influence on reality. The
    fallacy that makes Eric's belief a superstition is that he vastly
    overrates the effect of his personal magical rite. A trained magician
    on the other hand is able to create much more significant effects
    (i.e., non-negligible) as a consequence of his or her rites.

    In some cases I think superstitions may even represent a naive early
    attempt at harnessing the principles of magic.

    Sincerely, /RM/

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