The rituals of the church are no more magical than... — BC
Superstition goes hand in hand with ignorance, and because our age is wildly ignorant there is a high potential for superstition. For example, suppose Elon Musk said, "If you wave your iPhone in three big circles above your head after turning it on, the scrambling of the gyroscope will make it harder for political activists who are not in your contact list to send you unsolicited messages." People would instantly start doing this, and would probably soon swear by the practice. Why? Because we have no freaking idea how an iPhone works. Our scientific culture is faith-based, premised on arguments from authority. As Arthur Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." — Leontiskos
Those who live on the edge of time, in a rapidly evolving environment, such as a high risk occupation, or a professional athlete in a fast sport, are usually the ones who find the most purpose for superstition. In these situations a large part of a person's professional environment is completely unpredictable, and many of the happenings appear to be at the hands of fate, or chance. — Metaphysician Undercover
I agree that there is a very clear sense in which, at bottom, we do not know how iPhones work. I would be even stronger in your last sentence, virtually every phenomenon in nature is a kind of magic, as I see it. The reason we no longer see it that way is because we have become used to it and thus take it granted.
Certainly, newborns experience the world as baffling to them, because it is.
I specifically had in mind people like Krauss or Dawkins, or worse yet Dennett or the Churchlands, who are just off the wall. It is this strain in thinking, which I regard as kind of "superstitious" - the belief that science will allow to understand everything eventually. It's crazy to me to think this, for obvious reasons. — Manuel
Stella Artois for me. And I like it cold, even though it is a superior European product. — BC
There is certainly an interesting way in which we approach science as a field superstitiously, endowing it with impossible attributes. — Leontiskos
It makes sense that people who make their living off their ability to act effectively in the heat of the moment are used to being able to go with their intuitions successfully, and tend to do so even when critical thinking might serve them better. — wonderer1
Okay. It is a component of the human psyche. And if you read about the evolution of humans, the primal fear goes back to the prehistoric times when a lot of factors were not understood, but could wipe out their entire population.Anyways, long story short, superstition is a core component of the human psyche is the claim. — schopenhauer1
Anyways, long story short, superstition is a core component of the human psyche is the claim. — schopenhauer1
Can all religious faiths and practices be classed as superstition? — Corvus
Absolutely, the way I was using was like practical magic that affects the world, but the broader category of yes. — schopenhauer1
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