And the answer is because people are morons. — Thorongil
Is religion a superstition, in a sense? The belief in something supernatural, is essentially what superstition is, so in a very hardcore way religion is a kind of superstition. — Ann
The Eastern idea of Karma is a classic example of a magical (non-physical) conception of causation. — John
I don't think we know enough about nature to confidently declare what is 'super' to it — Wayfarer
Probably the best defense against superstitious beliefs is to constantly go meta and analyze your foundations to make sure you're not making any ridiculous mistakes. — darthbarracuda
Now, it's evolved into something that can be explained with science, but what is the human behavior that makes a person believe it so easily? Was superstition used as a guide in replacement of science? — Ann
Remember, science deals with objective matters through quantitative analysis, and there are many aspects of life that are not amenable to that kind of methodology. — Wayfarer
Experience is also another thing science cannot deal with, so is superstition a way for people to attach meaning to something? What's the significance of that?something about [superstition] that resonates with our experience. — Wosret
I see karma simply as superstition in the sense that superstition is come thing you cannot explain logically. — Ann
Karma is pretty cruel, though. — Ann
The problem is that it is very commonly observed that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. — John
Karma is not causation as it is ordinarily understood. — John
No causation as it generally understood consists in energetic physical interactions that are indifferent to any qualities we might impute to actions. — John
Those emotions you mention are dispositions of physical bodies and physically felt; so I don't know what you mean by saying they are non-physical. — John
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