Magical Thinking

Slides from a lecture on magical thinking.

Transcript

1. Magical Thinking George Matthews CC 2017
2. elements of magical thinking
3. elements of magical thinking ! Things have essences.
4. elements of magical thinking ! Things have essences. ! Words and thoughts have power.
5. elements of magical thinking ! Things have essences. ! Words and thoughts have power. ! Agents are everywhere.
6. Things have essences.
7. Things have essences. ! Natural kinds of things have unique and unchangable features.
8. Things have essences. ! Natural kinds of things have unique and unchangable features. ! Some things are sacred and some are cursed.
9. Things have essences. ! Natural kinds of things have unique and unchangable features. ! Some things are sacred and some are cursed. ! It is wrong to treat things contrary to their true nature.
10. Words and thoughts have power.
11. Words and thoughts have power. ! Names themselves have power.
12. Words and thoughts have power. ! Names themselves have power. ! Words and symbols can influence the things they refer to.
13. Words and thoughts have power. ! Names themselves have power. ! Words and symbols can influence the things they refer to. ! Thinking can directly cause things to happen.
14. Agents are everywhere.
15. Agents are everywhere. ! Nothing happens without a reason.
16. Agents are everywhere. ! Nothing happens without a reason. ! Someone or something is always watching.
17. Agents are everywhere. ! Nothing happens without a reason. ! Someone or something is always watching. ! The good are rewarded and the evil are punished.
18. the traditional perspective
19. the traditional perspective Dogon shaman Magical thinking reveals the hidden reality underlying appearances. It plays an important role in all societies.
20. the Enlightenment
21. the Enlightenment David Hume 1711 – 1776 Magical thinking is a flawed attempt to make sense of things. Intellectual honesty requires us to abandon hidden causes and deeper meanings and stick to what we see directly.
22. cultural relativism
23. cultural relativism Ruth Benedict 1887 – 1948 Who are we to dismiss magical thinking as a mistake? It is a culturally bound attempt to make sense of things, no less valid than modern science.
24. cognitive psychology
25. cognitive psychology Danial Kahneman 1934 – Magical thinking is a quick and dirty attempt to make sense of things. It is often mistaken even if it helps us to get by. Critical reasoning by comparison is slow, laborious and approaches objectivity.