Give examples of magic in primitive and in modern society.
From these examples develop a definition of ‘magic’.
Writing Definitions of Difficult Terms
In small groups try to write definitions of magic.
The general rule for composing definitions is to first state the term, then say into which class of ideas or things it belongs and finally to identify its distinguishing characteristics; that is, the things that separate it from other things in its class.
For example, ethics (term) is a branch of philosophy (class) that deals with the study of the rightness and wrongness of thoughts and actions (distinguishing characteristics).
Instructions
The class is divided into four groups. Each one is responsible for reading one of the texts below. Afterwards, each group answers questions related to their text. Each group has a copy of the other groups’ questions. Once the texts are read and the questions completed, the answers are shared in a seminar. Students must listen, take notes and ask if they don’t understand.
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Extract 1
IF we analyze the principles of thought on which magic is based, they will probably be found to resolve themselves into two: first, that like produces like, or that an effect resembles its cause; and, second, that things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed. The former principle may be called the Law of Similarity, the latter the Law of Contact or Contagion. From the first of these principles, namely the Law of Similarity, the magician infers that he can produce any effect he desires merely by imitating it: from the second he infers that whatever he does to a material object will affect equally the person with whom the object was once in contact, whether it formed part of his body or not. Charms based on the Law of Similarity may be called Homoeopathic or Imitative Magic. Charms based on the Law of Contact or Contagion may be called Contagious Magic
..........Homoeopathic magic is founded on the association of ideas by similarity: contagious magic is founded on the association of ideas by contiguity. Homoeopathic magic commits the mistake of assuming that things which resemble each other are the same: contagious magic commits the mistake of assuming that things which have once been in contact with each other are always in contact
......Both branches of magic, the homoeopathic and the contagious, may conveniently be comprehended under the general name of Sympathetic Magic, since both assume that things act on each other at a distance through a secret sympathy, the impulse being transmitted from one to the other by means of what we may conceive as a kind of invisible ether, not unlike that which is postulated by modern science for a precisely similar purpose, namely, to explain how things can physically affect each other through a space which appears to be empty
...PERHAPS the most familiar application of the principle that like produces like is the attempt which has been made by many peoples in many ages to injure or destroy an enemy by injuring or destroying an image of him, in the belief that, just as the image suffers, so does the man, and that when it perishes he must die.
.....The most familiar example of Contagious Magic is the magical sympathy which is supposed to exist between a man and any severed portion of his person, as 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.
—Sir James Frazer, Chapter III, The Golden Bough, (1922)
Source: Bartelby.com
Extract 2
'It may never be known whether European cavern art sprang full-blown or was perfected in small steps across millenia, but at least we have strong hints as to why it was created. A number of examples, as many as 28 percent, at Cosques near Marseilles, for example, are depicted with arrows or spears flying about the bodies of the animals. A bison at Lascaux has been eviscerated by a spear that enters it anus and emerges through its genitals. The simplest and most persuasive explanation for the embellishment is the one proposed in the early 1900s by Abbe Breuil, the pioneer explorer and interpreter of European Paleolithic art. It is hunting magic he said, the belief that by re-creating animals and killing their images, the hunters will more readily overcome real prey when the chase begins outdoors.
Art as magic: That has a modern ring, for we often hear, the purpose of art is enchantment. Breuil's hypothesis is supported by an intriguing piece of evidence, the repeated depiction of the same animal species on the same rock-surface panels. In one case, chemical tests indicate that the portraits were drawn centuries apart. Duplicates are also commonly drawn or in some cases etched on bone fragments – on top of the original. Rhinoceros horns are replicated, mammoths bear multiple head domes, lions have two or three complete heads. Although we will never be able to read the minds of the artists, it is a fair guess that they meant the images to be reborn with each duplication in order to serve the purpose of new rituals. Those rituals might have been full-blown ceremonies, accompanied by early forms of music and dancing...
Hunting sorcery of one form or another has survived in hunter gatherer societies to the present time. It is a form of sympathetic magic, an expression of the near universal belief among prescientific peoples that the manipulation of symbols and images can influence the objects they represent. Sticking pins in dolls and other practices of malign voodoo are among the most familiar examples from popular culture. Most religious rituals contain elements of sympathetic magic. Children selected for sacrifice to Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain and lightning, were forced to shed tears, in order to bring rain. Christian baptism takes away sins of the world. To be cleansed, to be born you must be born again, you must be washed in the blood of the lamb.'
E.O.Wilson (1997). Consilience. The Unity of Knowledge. pp.252-253
Extract 3
‘Cargo cults have sprung up again and again in the Pacific. During World War II, American forces arrived at the island of Tana to recruit a thousand men to help build an airfield and army base on neighboring Efate Island. When the workers returned with tales of white and black men who had possessions beyond the dreams of the people of Tana, the whole society was thrown into turmoil. The islanders, many of whom had earlier been converted to Christianity by British missionaries,
“….stopped going to church and began to build landing strips, warehouses and radio masts out of bamboo, in the belief that if it worked on Efate for the Americans, it would work for them on Tana. Carved figurines of American warplanes, helmets and rifles were made from bamboo and used as religious icons. Islanders began to march in parades with USA painted, carved or tattooed on their chests and backs. John Frum emerged as the name of their Messiah, although there are no records of an American soldier with that name.
When the last American GI left at the end of the war, the islanders predicted John Frum’s return. The movement continued to flourish and on 15 February, 1957, an American flag was raised in Sulphur Bay to declare the religion of John Frum. It is on this date every year that John Frum Day is celebrated. They believe that John Frum is waiting in the volcano Yasur with his warriors to deliver his cargo to the people of Tana. During the festivities the elders march in an imitation army, a kind of military drill mixed with traditional dancing. Some carry imitation rifles made of bamboo and wear American army memorabilia such as caps T-shirts and coats. They believe that their annual rituals will draw the god John Frum down from the volcano and deliver the cargo of prosperity to all of the islanders.” [MotDoc, 2004]’
Dennett, D (2006) Breaking the Spell: Religion as Natural Phenomenon. Penguin Books. Pp 99-100
Extract 4
‘In the mid-1860s, the war ceased to be one of formal confrontation and became one of guerilla and counter guerilla, with all the bestiality that kind of warfare usually entails. As the Maori situation worsened, a faith reminiscent of Papahurihia’s cult of the 1830s spread among the most militant Maori. Again a strange blend of Christianity and Maori beliefs arose: The angel Gabriel appeared to the prophet Te Ua Haumene and told him to set up tall flagstaffs, the niu, and worship there as at an altar.
In return there would be miracles: All the material things that the Maori wanted of the pakeha would be theirs, plus instantaneous knowledge the English language, but the pakeha would be defeated and would depart; the faithful would be invulnerable to bullets if they held up their arms in a certain way and said certain words; and so on. Their chants were pitifully nonsensical streams of Maori and pakeha phrases, all connotation and no denotation:
Mountain, big mountain, long mountain, big staff, long staff –
Attention!
North, north-by-east, nor’-nor’-east, no’-east-by-north, north east colony-
Attention!
Come to tea, all the mean, round the niu – Attention!
Shem, rule the wind, too much wind, come to tea –Attention!
The most fanatical of the followers of the new cult, the Hauhau (their name derived from the words they repeated in battle to deflect bullets) revived cannibalism from the past, and in their desperation they devised rites as hideous as imagination could conceive – and may actually have shortened the war by flinging themselves into the line of fire, confident of their invulnerability.’
Crosby, A.W. (1986) Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900. p. 264
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Comprehension Questions
Extract 1
What is the Law of Contact?
Give an example.
What is the Law of Similarity?
Give an example. What would you call it?
These two laws are examples of _________ _________.
Explain the meaning of ‘sympathetic’ in the answer to question 5.
Extract 2
Explain Abbé Breuil's hypothesis of 'hunting magic'?
Wilson believes there is support for Breuil's hypothesis - explain this.
What is sympathetic magic? Paraphrase Wilson's definition. Compare it to the definition that will be given by Group 1.
As an illustration of sympathetic magic, explain how the Aztecs believed they could make it rain?
Extract 3
Who was John Frum?
What religious icons did the islanders build?
What rituals did they perform?
Where is John Frum thought to reside?
What do they think their rituals will do?
What is the significance of 15 February?
Give a definition of a Cargo Cult
Extract 4
Describe the cult that militant Maoris believed.
What did they worship?
What would they receive in return?
Describe one of their chants.
What was the name of the most fanatical branch of the cult?
How did most of the cult’s followers die?
Homework
Using your notes taken during the seminar create a synthesis of the three texts. Write no more than 150-225 words. Use good paragraph structure, linking words and cite your references both in the text and in a bibliography.
How to plan your answer:
Firstly, summarise the main points of Frazer's article on Sympathetic Magic. After that, briefly illustrate it with a couple of examples from Wilson's text. Then, write about the Tana Island Cargo Cult as a case study. Finally, decide whether the the cult of the Hau Haus of New Zealand is also an example of a synpathetic magic.
Tips for writing a synthesis
- Firstly, identify the primary source. This is the article or extract that contains the general concept(s) or principle idea(s).
- Then, identify secondary source(s): This may be a case study or detailed example that illustrates and supports the concept(s) shown in the primary source. (Sharpe, P. 2006, p. 136)
- For example:
- For citing references within the your text see Introduction to Gaia Theory - Writing Techniques
- For writing a bibliography for your article see how the references are presented below.
Further Reading
Dawkins, R. (2006) The God Delusion. Black Swan. pp 234-239
Youtube
Tanna: JohnFrum Day- Sulfa Bay
Bibliography
Crosby, A.W. (1986) Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900. p. 264
Dennett, D (2006) Breaking the Spell: Religion as Natural Phenomenon. Penguin Books. Pp 99-100
Frazer, J.(1922) The Golden Bough, Chapter III, Online version - Source: Bartelby.com
Sharpe, P. (2006) Barron's TOEFL iBT Internet Based Test 2006-2007, 12th Edition, Barron's Educational Series inc.
Wilson, E.O. (1998) Consilience. The Unity of Knowledge. Abacus. London
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