One must at least entertain the possibility that there is no true category here at all. He variety of things to which refers is far-reaching, ranging from a social institution characteristic of traditional societies, to sleight-of-hand or parlor tricks, to belief in unconventional phenomena such as UFOs and ESP, to sloppy thinking or false beliefs, and even to a state of romance, wonder, or the mysterious. Hutson notes that the concept of magical thinking is vague and problematic. Matthew Hutson’s popular book The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking attempts to get beyond the low-status connotations of magical thinking, as indicated in the subtitle (How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane). It’s hard not to be fascinated, even if it’s a horrified fascination. At the same time, magical thinking is obviously rampant in the world. If we notice magical thinking in ourselves, it is with a pang of shame: literate adults are supposed to be more sophisticated than that. When people talk about magical thinking, it is usually as a cognitive feature of children, uneducated people, the mushy-minded, or the mentally ill. The paper ends by arguing the case for the possibility of understanding the Other(s) by way of reason, a possibility grounded on the commonality of reason between cultures.This is an account of how magical thinking made us modern. Building on some loci classici of anthropological literature written by Malinowski, Evans-Pritchard, and Lévi-Strauss (among others), the paper argues that although modern Western science and indigenous knowledge(s) share a common rational denominator, the two cognitive modes are nonetheless hierarchical, the former being epistemically superior to the latter thanks to its unique self-correcting methodology. The conclusion drawn from this comparison is that both modern scientific reason and non-literate peoples thought patterns are two “cognitive modes” sharing a strong structural similarity. In proving the first thesis (the universality of reason), the paper contrasts Western thought, epitomized in scientific reason, with non-Western thinking patterns, expressed by ethno-sciences, magic rituals, and other knowledge practices. The central argument defended in this paper is made up of two interconnected statements: i) that a minimally defined rationality is an anthropological constant, being shared by all conceivable human cultures and ii) that this “commonality of reason” constitutes the basis on which inter-cultural understanding is possible. In examination from a historical context, an evolution of theories regarding the concept of magic will be critically analyzed in the attempt to decode the categorization of magical thinking. Throughout the history of anthropology, many theorists in the discipline have explored magical thinking, and just as with the many other facets of cultural concepts, the elusive concept of magical thinking has been diversely defined and categorized. Where then does magic ultimately belong, into which category does it fall, or is magic completely something unto itself? In order to answer these questions, ‘magical thinking’ needs to be explored in terms of the relationship the concept has with science and with religion.
#DEFINE MAGICAL THINKING HOW TO#
There has been much debate since the nineteenth century as to how to distinctly define magical thinking and as to what category the amorphous concept belongs. It has also been investigated as to what role magic plays in relation to science, and furthermore as a possible catalyst in mediating the bridge between religion and science.
Magic has been a key component in defining religion since the latter half of the nineteenth century when the social sciences and religious studies were developing as academic disciplines. The argument then, for the intent of this study, is not as to whether magical thinking exists universally, or as to the effectiveness of magic the argument is about how to define and categorize the very concept of magical thinking. The concept persists despite instances when it is not consciously recognized or acknowledged.
Magical thinking appears to be clearly universal. Across all cultures and throughout history, man has carried the inherent ability for magical cognizance. This study explores the categorization of magical thinking within cultural anthropology from a historical context.
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