superstitions

WELCOME TO DESIGN FOR CHANGE CONTEST

SUPERSTITION

A Myth to be broken!!!!

Team Members

R. Bhuvaneshwari T.K. Dhanya R. Dheeksha K. Haritha M. Ovieya

ABSTRACT

Unlike the usual problems in the society we had chosen this concept which may be considered as less importance but if it is left uncared may become one of the serious issue in our society.

Thus we had done this project with the help of our teacher, parents and friends.

So we just welcome to look into our ideas.

What is superstition ?

Superstitions are beliefs that certain things or events will bring good or bad luck.

Every culture has superstitions.

LET US SEE SOME OF THE SUPERSITIONS AROUND OUR ENVIRONMENT !!

•A dog howling at night chills the blood – a portent of approaching death.

•Hiccups indicate someone is thinking of you. • An itchy eye refers to someone maligning you, or your envy of someone.

A barber shop remains closed on Tuesday as hair should not be cut on that day

•Nails should not be cut at night for fear of evil spirits.

•Twitching of the eye is highly inauspicious.

Good luck

1.Some people carry a rabbit’s foot on a key ring and think four-leaf clovers ( a clover with four leaves instead of the usual three).

2.The Americans think that knocking on wood prevents good luck changing to bad, so they often use the expression “ knock on wood”.

THIS IS SOME OF THE SUPERSTITIONS OF OTHER COUNTRIES

Let us see some of the Japanese superstitions?

In Japan there are certain things they will not do because it may cause bad luck.

A few examples are:

The number four: The number four is considered inauspicious because it is pronounced the same as the word for death (shi). Therefore, one should not make gift that consist of four pieces, etc. In some hotels and hospitals the room number four is skipped.

Stick chopsticks into the rice: Do not stick your chopsicks into your food generally, but especially not into rice, because only at funerals, chopsticks are stuck into the rice which is put onto the altar.

Give food from chopstick to chopstick: This is only done with the bones of the cremated body at funerals .

Sleeping towards the North: Do not sleep towards the North because bodies are laid down like that.

Cut nails at night: If you cut your nails at night, you will not be with your parents when they die.

Lie down after eating: If you lie down immediately after eating, you will become a cow.

Whistle in the night: If you whistle in the night, a snake will come to you.

Black cat: There are also some imported superstitions such as the believe that black cats crossing the street in front of you cause bad luck. In many shrines, temples and souvenir shops, amulets are sold that are supposed to bring luck, safety or good fortune. There are amulets for money, health, love, success on exams, safety on the streets, etc. Small pieces of paper (omikuji) that predict your future are also available. These pieces of paper are tied around the branch of a tree after reading; either to make the good fortune come true or to avoid the predicted bad fortune.

R EFERENCE :

Since it is a vast subject to deal with we have taken some reference from available webpage which we feel helpful for us to make people understand more effectively, moreover some scientist’s observations and thoughts are provided here.

Let us go through it !!!

SUPERSTITION AS SCIENCE

FIRST-FOOTING It is lucky when a tall man walks into a

house first in the New Year Is this a scientific hypothesis?Why not? Is it something about the hypothesis? Is it something about

our attitudes? Is it something about

how it was reached?

OUTLINE

Elements of superstitions Superstition, magic & religion 3 different views of superstition Superstition as science What is the difference? Empirical limits Conclusions

ELEMENTS OF SUPERSTITIONS

Superstitious beliefs

Superstitious practices

The link between them

ELEMENTS OF A SUPERSTITION Superstitious belief

‘Action’ Crossing fingers Can be just an event – Friday 13th

‘Effect’ Potentially desirable or undesirable event

Connection Causation/conjuration or prediction/divination

Explanation Luck No natural explanation Supernatural explanation

ELEMENTS OF A SUPERSTITION

Superstitious practice Taking or avoiding the ‘action’

Avoiding black cats Success uncertain Function

Manifest To avoid or bring

about the ‘effect’ Latent

Can be very different First-footing again

Predicting or causing?

ELEMENTS OF A SUPERSTITION

The link between beliefs and practices Generally problematic Focussing on practices

Skinner’s behaviourism Beliefs secondary

Focussing on beliefs Superstition satisfying internal needs Practices secondary

SUPERSTITION, MAGIC & RELIGION

Magic & religionMagic & superstition

Religion & superstition


Magic & religion E. Durkheim 1912

Sacred vs. profane Religion

Social function Magic

Individual function D. S. Wilson 2002

Evolutionary explanation ofreligion

Social function as group-selection


Magic & superstition Magic

Traditional societies Superstition

Modern society Relation?

Different phenomena Same phenomenon / different contexts

Education and superstition (Jahoda 1969) Jumper example

SUPERSTITION, MAGIC & RELIGION Religion & superstition

Deisidaimonia Misplaced fear of daimons Theophrastus, circa 300 BC

Superstition is false religion Worship of demons Aquinas, circa 1250 AD

Atheist generalisation All religion is false Therefore, superstition is all religion

Can differentiate religion & superstition Some religious practices superstitious

Intercessory prayer

3 VIEWS OF SUPERSTITION

Superstition as fantasy

Superstition as rhetoric

Superstition as science


Superstition as fantasy Attempted retreat from threatening/

uncontrollable reality Anxiety-reduction (Malinowski 1925) Retaining feeling of control (Case et all 2004) “The man under the sway of impotent fury or

dominated by thwarted hate spontaneously clenches his fists and carries out imaginary thrusts at his enemy, muttering imprecations, casting words of hatred and anger against him.” – Malinowski “Magic, Science, and Religion”


Superstition as rhetoric Attempted communication Use of language to induce motion in things

(Burke 1969) Costly signalling (Tambiah 1990) Accepting authority (Palmer 1989) “By communicating acceptance of a

supernatural claim one is communicating a willingness to accept the speaker’s influence unskeptically.” - Palmer “The ritual taboos of fishermen”


Superstition as science Attempt to understand/control

the world Primitive science (Frazer 1890) Adventitious reinforcement

(Skinner 1947) Biased cognitive heuristics

(Rozin & Nemeroff 1980) “Magic is a spurious system of natural law as

well as a fallacious guide of conduct; it is a false science as well as an abortive art.” - Frazer, Golden Bough

SUPERSTITION AS SCIENCE?

Question of focusPrimitive scienceAdventitious reinforcement

Biased cognitive heuristics

SUPERSTITION AS SCIENCE? Question of focus

Superstitious beliefs vs. scientific beliefs Superstitious methods vs. scientific methods

Both options incomplete Would ‘superstitious’ beliefs be scientific if

arrived at scientifically? Could they be arrived at scientifically? Is there such a thing as ‘magical thinking’? Or is it that thinking sometimes leads to magical

beliefs?


Primitive science Tylor 1871, Frazer 1890, Levy-Bruhl 1910 Superstition identified with primitive

societies/minds Science identified with modern

societies/minds Progress seen as directed ‘evolution’ Enlightenment / Intellectualist position Rationality expels superstition


Adventitious reinforcement B.F. Skinner 1947, S. Vyse 1997 Superstition in a pigeon

Skinner box Operant conditioning Independent reinforcement schedule ‘Superstitious behaviour’ “Operant conditioning is

not just for rats and pigeons” - Vyse


Adventitious reinforcement Matrix task

4 x 4 matrix Move dot from top left to

bottom right Task: Find out when points are gained Points awarded randomly Numerous theories put forward

Similar situations Malfunctioning light switch

Conditioning as basis for understanding science?


Biased cognitive heuristics Domain-specific Generally effective Systematically biased Heuristics and biases (Kahneman & Tversky

1974) Bounded rationality (H. Simon 1972) Scientific methods as heuristics

(W. Wimsatt 2007) Contagion heuristic

Rozin & Nemeroff 1980

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Daniel_KAHNEMAN.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HerbertSimon.jpg

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Truth & empirical adequacy

Natural vs. supernatural

Sacred vs. profane


Truth & empirical adequacy Superstitions as false causal beliefs

Often used definition Many false causal beliefs, some scientific

Superstitions not just false but (known to be) empirically inadequate Scientific beliefs rejected due to empirical inadequacy Can not equate Newton’s physics with his astrology

Is ‘onto something’ But superstitious beliefs ‘look different’


Natural vs. supernatural Superstitions as supernatural claims Problems

Vague concept Circularity? Distinction much later than category Correlation between superstitious and pseudoscientific

beliefs Succubi become aliens Post hoc explanations

Is ‘onto something’


Sacred vs. profane Durkheim Explaining a cognitive category in terms of a

social phenomenon? Is ‘onto something’ But, again, superstitions ‘look different’

EMPIRICAL LIMITS

Observability & superstitions

Observability & functions

Agnosticism about explanations

EMPIRICAL LIMITS B. van Fraassen

The Scientific Image 1980 Limits of observability

Actual empirical limitations Ability to discern small objects Limits change over time Agnosticism about unobservable

claims Challenging scientific attitudes

Observable/detectable distinction Distinction generally rejected Is anything unobservable? Significance of social attitudes

EMPIRICAL LIMITS

Observability & superstitions How observable are superstitious claims?

Connections between ‘actions’ and ‘events’ Observable as correlations

Explanations for the connections The claims hard to observe Attitudes object to observation Render superstitious explanations effectively

unobservable ‘Superempirical’ rather than supernatural

EMPIRICAL LIMITS

Observability and functions Manifest and latent function

Manifest function requires observability Religious connections unobservable

Latent (social) function more important In superstitions only explanations unobservable Scientists aim to make explanations observable A vital difference

EMPIRICAL LIMITS

Agnosticism about explanations Scientific explanations?

Scientists take realist view of explanations Pursue evidence for their truth Agnosticism not justified

Superstitious explanations Explanations in practically untestable terms Testing of explanations discouraged Agnosticism is not enough

Agnosticism about explanations is not scientific

CONCLUSIONS

SimilaritiesMethods: Use of heuristicsBeliefs: Often hard to test explanations put forward

DifferencesMethods: Development of new heuristicsBeliefs: A realist attitude to explanations leading to pursuit of testing

From the above explanations and observations it is clear that supertitions is one thing that is related to our own attitude and thoughts related to our enviroment. Thus we have created some ideas to make peoples aware of this thing such that they will urge the future generation in a correct path.

Thank you for watching our ideas.

THANK YOU!!!!

superstitions

Spiritual

Transcript of superstitions