Magic and Miracles
Definition and history
Magic
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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?
• 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
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
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?
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
Magic: Evolutionary perspective
Edward Tylor
Sir James Frazer
Emile Durkheim
James Frazer (1854-1951)
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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
James Frazer
• THE GOLDEN BOUGH: A STUDY IN
COMPARATIVE RELIGION traced 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.
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
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
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.
Why Magic is important in so
many cultures?
• Examples of Azande ( Evans Pritchard)
• Trobriand islanders ( Malinowski)
• In our own culture?
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
Azande witchcraft
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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
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
Bronislaw Malinowski
• Religion vs. Magic among the Trobriand
islanders
• The functional value of Magic