Essay about Witchcraft, Magic and Rationality - 2265 Words

Witchcraft, Magic and Rationality Social Anthropology seeks to gauge an understanding of cultures and practices whether they are foreign or native. This is achieved through the studying of language, education, customs, marriage, kinship, hierarchy and of course belief and value systems. Rationality is a key concept in this process as it affects the anthropologist’s interpretation of the studied group’s way of life: what s/he deems as rational or plausible practice. Witchcraft and magic pose problems for many anthropologists, as its supernatural nature is perhaps conflicting to the common Western notions of rationality, mainly deemed superior. In this essay I will be exploring the relationship between rationality and witchcraft and†¦show more content†¦The Yorubas chanting to the god Shango is no different to the congregation of a church singing hymns. Both are with good intentions, and both may ask for some divine intervention. Labelling one form magic and one religion is just semantics. To question whether it is rational to believe in witchcraft and magic is in fact just a question as to whether the belief in supernatural intervention is rational. Is it irrational to believe in things that we cannot prove in a rational manner? At this point I would say ‘Yes’. It is illogical to believe in things that cannot be proven. Proof must be a condition for belief or we could believe almost anything to exist, for example flying pigs. It is evidence that makes belief different from faith, which is having trust in things that often appear to have no substantiation. However to use rationality as a determining factor of proof, and therefore belief, means that it must be a flawless concept within itself. But is this so? If we decide that it is irrational to believe in things that cannot be proven then we are at the same time saying that it is only rational to believe in things that can be proven. However there are many things that evade the boundaries of Western science, for example emotions. Can we prove love exists? It is something invisible, intangible and there is no objective proof for this emotion; no way to scientifically monitorShow MoreRelatedMagic, Science, And Religion1542 Words   |  7 Pages Magic, science, and religion are culturally constructed concepts that we use as ways of apprehending, comprehending, and interacting to orient ourselves within the world. A world without meaning cannot be interpreted—chaos, a state of complete disorder and confusion, is the most feared idea by humans. The human brain tries to create meaning out of the chaos and meaninglessness of the world in an effort to understand its surroundings. By gaining an understanding of the world and how it functionsRead MoreEssay on Science and Religion2169 Words   |  9 Pagesseminal work, Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande. 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