Paul Smith wrote:
> I have long wondered
> about the role that matter-of-fact magic in the movies and tv plays in
> making the paranormal believable (the "encourages them" side of your
> speculation). People apparently find it very easy to believe in all sorts of
> magical powers, universal cures (ever really look at the lists of claims for
> those herbal supplements?), and religious miracles. Surely the belief is not
> the product of the very meager real-world evidence.
And "our own" Ken Steele wrote:
> Paul brings up a point that I have wondered about, surely there
> is little real-world experience supporting the belief in magical
> powers and outcomes. So is TV to blame? I have a second
> culprit--intellectual laziness.
I have a third culprit: the pervasive belief in the existence of unseen entities and
forces that transcend the natural world, but that also can have effects in that
world. How long such beliefs have been around is anyone's guess; but probably for at
least 200,000 to 250,000 years (e.g., there is some evidence that the Neanderthals
buried their dead with the expectation that they were going to another world). I
think that the magical thinking in evidence in tha mass media and literature is a
reflection of such beliefs. In addition, they inform such beliefs by reinforcing
them and expanding their explanatory power (e.g., episodes of sleep paralysis are
now sometimes seen as evidence for alien abductions).
Jeff
--
Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213
9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298
Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
"The truth is rare and never simple."
Oscar Wilde
"Instead of having 'answers' on a test, they should just call
them 'impressions'. And, if you got a different 'impression',
so what? Can't we all be brothers?"
Jack Handey
