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Magic and Miracles

Magic and Miracles. Definition and history. Magic. What is Magic vis- a- vis Miracle The practitioners of Magic History and objective of Magic The various practices of Magic The underlying principles of Magic The link between Magic and Science. What is Magic? Why?.

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Magic and Miracles

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  1. Magic and Miracles Definition and history

  2. Magic • What is Magic vis- a- vis Miracle • The practitioners of Magic • History and objective of Magic • The various practices of Magic • The underlying principles of Magic • The link between Magic and Science

  3. What is Magic? Why? • To do with The supernatural • The supernatural forces can be controlled through supernatural rituals and incantations • Control the supernatural or spiritual forces through rituals to gain power over the circumstances • Magic as a form of technology , the use of spell, chant, design

  4. The Magical worldview • A connection between the universe and the individual • E.g. palm reading, Taro reading, astrology etc • “As above so below” “As below so above” • Human being as the microcosm of the universe • Universe is a fundamental unity

  5. The practice of Magic • Magician as God • Magic as a ritual ( properties and the process) • Magic as knowledge – Incantation • Low magic – everyday magic deals with problems of humanity : uses of magic spell • How do they work?

  6. Cardinal principles of Magic • The way most magic works: • Imitative p.54 ( Magic, Mystery and Science) • Magical link/ sympathetic magic • The connection between Magic and Science • During Renaissance and after

  7. Magic: Evolutionary perspective Edward Tylor Sir James Frazer Emile Durkheim

  8. James Frazer (1854-1951) • The Golden Bough (12 volumes)1890 • Science, magic and religion (sharp distinction) • Types of Magic: similarity and contagious • Critique: Intellectualist approach • Language of magic is diff from science • Magic defies logic • Stanley Tambiah: with the study of Azande, critiqued Frazer’s evolutionary theory

  9. James Frazer • THE GOLDEN BOUGH: A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE RELIGIONtraced the evolution of human behavior, ancient and primitive myth, magic, religion, ritual, and taboo. The study appeared first in two volumes in 1890 and finally in 12 volumes in 1911-15. It was named after the golden bough in the sacred grove at Nemi, near Rome.

  10. James Frazer • Magic > religion > science • Magic is logically more primitive than religion because • the conception of personal agents (religion) is more complex than the similarity or contiguity of ideas (magic). • Australian aborigines > the most primitive -only magic

  11. Rules of Magic • Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence. Law of similarity. • Example: Love potion imitating Venus, the god of love

  12. Contagious Magic • whatever is done to the one must similarly affect the other. Thus the logical basis of Contagious Magic,…is a mistaken association of ideas. • It is assumed to unite distant objects and to convey impressions from one to the other. • For example, between a man and his hair or nails; so that whoever gets possession of human hair or nails may work his will, at any distance, upon the person from whom they were cut.

  13. Why Magic is important in so many cultures? • Examples of Azande ( Evans Pritchard) • Trobriand islanders ( Malinowski) • In our own culture?

  14. Sir Evans Pritchard– Azande magic • Azande thinking was modern and rational rational as European thinking • Belief in witchcraft coexisted with ‘rational’ explanations of causality • Witchcraft provided a ‘natural philosophy’ for explaining unfortunate events

  15. Azande witchcraft • Witchcraft is not extraordinary or miraculous • It does not replace empirical knowledge • It explains ‘coincidence’ • Focuses on the socially relevant cause • Gives social events their moral value

  16. Azande witchcraft and morality • Follows the dynamics of social relations • Expresses Azande moral values • Defines the socio- cultural system of the Azande people in the South Western Sudan

  17. Bronislaw Malinowski • Religion vs. Magic among the Trobriand islanders • The functional value of Magic

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