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The ritual stance does not apply to magic in general

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2022

Ze Hong Open the ORCID record for Ze Hong [Opens in a new window]
Ze Hong*
Affiliation:
Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA ze_hong@g.harvard.edu https://kevinhong.home.blog/ Department of Sociology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, China
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Abstract

Contrary to the author's proposed classification scheme, I argue that most magical practices are better viewed as “instrumental” rather than “ritualistic.” Much ethnographic and historical evidence shows that magicians and ritual experts often have elaborate causal theories regarding how magic actions lead to the putative outcome, and the “physical/mechanical” versus “supernatural” distinction in causal mechanisms needs serious reconsideration.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e258
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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