Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2025
11:12
Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting
Published on: November 4, 2021
3.5K
The ritual stance does not apply to magic in general.
Ze Hong1,2
1Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA ze_hong@g.harvard.eduhttps://kevinhong.home.blog/.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|November 10, 2022
Summary
Most magical practices are better understood as instrumental, not ritualistic. Evidence suggests magicians possess causal theories, challenging the supernatural vs. physical distinction in magic.
Area of Science:
- Anthropology of Religion
- History of Magic
- Philosophy of Causality
Background:
- Current classifications of magical practices often distinguish between ritualistic and instrumental types.
- This dichotomy may oversimplify the complex motivations and beliefs underlying magical actions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the existing classification scheme for magical practices.
- To propose an alternative framework that better reflects the nature of magic.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of ethnographic data on magical practices.
- Examination of historical accounts of magicians and ritual experts.
- Theoretical argumentation regarding causality in magic.
Main Results:
- Most magical practices exhibit characteristics of instrumental action, aiming for specific outcomes.
- Magicians and ritual experts frequently employ detailed causal theories to explain magical efficacy.
- The traditional distinction between physical/mechanical and supernatural causal mechanisms in magic warrants re-evaluation.
Conclusions:
- A revised understanding of magic should emphasize its instrumental nature.
- The causal reasoning behind magical acts is often sophisticated and deserves further investigation.
- The dichotomy between natural and supernatural causality in magic is problematic and requires reconsideration.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Structuralism
834
Structuralism, an early psychological theory developed by Wilhelm Wundt and his student Edward Bradford Titchener, sought to dissect the human mind into its most fundamental components. Wundt's groundbreaking work in his laboratory set the stage for Titchener to define structuralism's goal as cataloging the "atoms" of the mind—sensations, images, and feelings—akin to how chemists identify elements of matter.
Titchener's approach to structuralism was unique. He...
Titchener's approach to structuralism was unique. He...
834
01:30Magnetism
6.5K
Magnets are commonly found in everyday objects, such as toys, hangers, elevators, doorbells, and computer devices. Experimentation on these magnets shows that all magnets have two poles: one is labeled north (N) and the other south (S). Magnetic poles repel if they are alike and attract if unlike. Moreover, both poles of a magnet attract unmagnetized pieces of iron.
An individual magnetic pole cannot be isolated. No matter how small, every piece of a magnet contains a north pole and a south...
An individual magnetic pole cannot be isolated. No matter how small, every piece of a magnet contains a north pole and a south...
6.5K
00:57Deindividuation
26.7K
Deindividuation is a form of social influence on an individual’s behavior such that the individual engages in unusual or non-normal behavior while in a group setting. Why? Because in these group settings, the individual no longer sees themselves as an individual anymore, disinhibiting their behavior and personal restraint.
26.7K
00:51Radical Formation: Elimination
1.8K
Another method of radical formation is the elimination process. It is the opposite of the addition route and is driven by the instability of the radical. For example, as depicted in Figure 1, dibenzoyl peroxide yields a pair of unstable radicals upon homolysis. Given its instability, this radical spontaneously undergoes elimination via a C–C bond cleavage to form a relatively more stable phenyl radical. The mechanism involves cleavage of the bond between the α and β positions...
1.8K
01:42Schemas
11.7K
A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.
11.7K
00:47Radical Formation: Abstraction
3.5K
The electron of an atom can be abstracted from a compound by a relatively unstable radical to generate a new radical of relatively greater stability. For example, an initiator which forms radicals by homolysis can abstract a suitable species like a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom from a compound to generate a new radical. This ability of radicals to propagate by abstraction is a crucial feature of radical chain reactions.
Even though homolysis produces radicals, it is different from radical...
Even though homolysis produces radicals, it is different from radical...
3.5K