Criteria and academic studies to date

The interrelationship of the myths of diverse ancient cultures , their similarities and their relationship to animistic religions , in which magic played a central role, were studied by the British anthropologist James George Frazer in his monumental work The Golden Bough . Also deserved full consideration by the psychiatrist Carl Jung , who developed the theory of the collective unconscious .

Anthropology today distinguishes between magic and religion , and puts the magic in a plane parallel to the evolution of religions.

In psychiatry , several mental illnesses and personality disorders are characterized by varying degrees of magical thinking .

[ edit ]Terms related to magic and occultism

• Pseudoscience or false science are theorizing or activities that present themselves in appearance and language of science , whose practice and possible accumulation of new knowledge contrary to scientific method or that are not considered truly scientific. This concept is used by the approaches epistemological concerned about the demarcation criterion of science and has greater consensus between the exact sciences and natural .
• Superstition is the belief, unsubstantiated, namely that various voluntary or involuntary actions, such as salt falling to the ground, passing under a ladder or the arrival of a Tuesday 13 , can influence the present or the future.

[ edit ]Social Opinions about magic today

• The magical thinking , origin of magic, is certain beliefs unprovable logic.
• The current use of words (language) for changes in a person, sometimes even without knowing it, is the basis of many psychotherapies , including psychoanalysis . Also, the use of techniques such as suggestion , the hypnosis and neurolinguistic programming (NLP), and even placebos , are tools of behavioral change in antiquity could be attributed to charms , spells, witchcraft, magic, or miracles if religion. We should also mention the known effects of self-fulfilling prophecies in which a statement about the future, in the form of prophecy, triggers a series of events that end up causing what had been predicted. The difference of these techniques with magic is the lack of empowerment to spiritual or metaphysical entities.
• There is now thought that many inventions would be magic to modern primitive societies, in part because supplement some of the capabilities sought by the ancient magicians.
• The word magic is also used to refer to phenomena that have no rational explanation. The inexplicable can be “magical”. Sometimes to refer to feelings like love, happiness or there is something I do not know for sure the cause, it is said that “no magic”.
• The practice of magic is not without an attitude that permeates the thought and transcends all walks of life of the individual who practices it.
• Basically, magical praxis involves transaction between humans and these powers to master their favor.
• The magic refers to the beliefs metaphysical , and its focus and differentiator is the human capacity to modify reality no means strictly causal.
• The witchcraft strictly not magic, but uses many of its elements.
• The magic has been persecuted in history (for religious or social currents) and, even today, contrasting their theories through the scientific method. During some periods of history, a magician accusation could mean his imprisonment, torture and even death for the magician.