Muriel wrote:masukuma wrote:Muriel wrote:masukuma wrote:tycho wrote:Magical thinking is an integral part of humanity. As such black magic exists and is effective to the limits of scientific knowledge.
tycho is right! the human mind seeks to understand everything and in understanding and transmission of this understanding an explanation must come forth - magic happens to be the best way to explain the unexplainable/unfathomable e.t.c.
'Integral part of humanity' implies a constant.
If it is an integral part of humanity then it cannot be missing in some while present in others. It cannot be dismissed or accepted at will.
Is it true?
It all boils down to this image again

Magic and Magical thinking tends to explain the KNOWN UNKNOWNs part of our world.

Any self respecting belief system has to explain the KNOWN UNKNOWNs to it's audience.
my theory is the KNOWN KNOWNs infects assumptions we hold about what makes thing happen in the realm of the KNOWN UNKNOWNs. you can only assume based on the depth of the 'KNOWNs' you know. That is why some people remove Magic and sorcery from the list of things that makes KNOWN UNKNOWNs behave the way they do. Those people who have small amounts of KNOWN KNOWNs will accept things that have not been proven wrong in their 'KNOWN KNOWNs' circle.
A few minutes ago, you just affirmed that 'magical thinking is an integral part of humanity'.
I have taken note of and observed the qualifying, mitigating levels you are attempting to now introduce.
However, you cannot now 'remove' magic from being an 'integral part of humanity' without:
1. being self contradictory and inconsistent or
2. implying that some humans are not partakers of this essential constituent of humanity - perhaps even implying that there were in effect two parallel lines of evolution.
3. giving another meaning to the word 'magic'.
4. giving another meaning to the word 'integral'.
As you can see, brother agrees its true.
don't nit pick and read my stuff again - I am very coherent in my explanations and it's none of the above.
I think my explanations/theory boil down to this
properties of the mind
1) all minds are capable of magical thinking in the realm of the KNOWN UNKNOWNS;
2) all minds are capable of consistently acquiring knowledge
the process of explaining KNOWN UNKNOWNs
1) when the mind gets information that moves some KNOWN UNKNOWN into the realm of KNOWN KNOWNs and is accepted. The minds will look at explaining the then KNOWN UNKNOWNs with this new lens projecting the knowledge of the now KNOWN KNOWNs to explaining KNOWN UNKNOWNs.
2) when further information is availed, understood and accepted - it will feedback into 1 for the hitherto KNOWN UNKNOWNs which are now accepted as KNOWN KNOWNs.
during this feedback loop - some things are generally cancelled out as valid lenses of explaining KNOWN UNKNOWNs one such thing is Magic another is 'Because my Mum/Dad said so' e.t.c.
All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!