Monday, November 10, 2008

Magic, Science, and Religion

Some of Malinowski's examples of magical and scientific behaviors are: Magic coming from traditions and of a world of mysticism, "an occult" passed down through "mysterious initiations" and is often exclusive in some way. 
Science comes from experience, reason, trial and error, and is "a common good of the whole community." Understanding of science can be something as little as realizing regularity applied to fishing or food foraging, knowing where certain plants can grow, or being able to tell when it will rain. These are natural patterns that are learned through observation, which all communities do. 

A rational outlook to one's surroundings does not imply the absence of faith in magical rites. Malinowski explains this by saying that "every primitive community is in possession of a considerable store of knowledge, based on experience and fashioned by reason." The same cultures who worship multiple gods or practice "magic" have still learned to hunt, predict weather patterns, or farm based on observation and understanding their surroundings. Things like this could not "be carried out without the careful observation of natural process and a firm belief in its regularity," lack of reason and its powers.

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