Superstition: A Very Short Introduction

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192551329
Total Pages : 169 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

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Book Synopsis Superstition: A Very Short Introduction by : Stuart Vyse

Download or read book Superstition: A Very Short Introduction written by Stuart Vyse and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-01-23 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Is breaking a mirror just an expensive waste of glass, or something rather more sinister? Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. A recent survey of adults in the United States found that 33 percent believed that finding a penny was good luck, and 23 percent believed that the number seven was lucky. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today? This Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. For two millennia, superstition was a label derisively applied to foreign religions and unacceptable religious practices, and its primary purpose was used to separate groups and assert religious and social authority. After the Enlightenment, the superstition label was still used to define groups, but the new dividing line was between reason and unreason. Today, despite our apparent sophistication and technological advances, superstitious belief and behaviour remain widespread, and highly educated people are not immune. Stuart Vyse takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Modern Superstitions

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780523423166
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (231 download)

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Book Synopsis Modern Superstitions by : Christopher Graybill

Download or read book Modern Superstitions written by Christopher Graybill and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781901383027
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (83 download)

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Book Synopsis Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions by : Martin Lings

Download or read book Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions written by Martin Lings and published by . This book was released on 2001-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing upon his wide knowledge of world religions the author in this book strikes at the root of everything that makes it difficult for people today to believe wholeheartedly in religion and in doing so, it shows modern man to be, in his own peculiar twenty-first century way, the embodiment of superstition in its most dangerous form. We are faced in the modern world with a situation similar to that in the fable of the Emperor's new clothes. This book aims to speak the truth about the modern outlook especially concerning science and metaphysics, in order to dispell the illusion that prevents the intellect from seeing things as they really are.

Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions

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Author :
Publisher : ISBS
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 104 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions by : Martin Lings

Download or read book Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions written by Martin Lings and published by ISBS. This book was released on 1991 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: - A powerful defence of religion in which the author draws upon his wide knowledge of the world religions.- One of the greatest ironies of the modern world is that its most ardent champions are the blindest to the real assets of the times

Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe

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Author :
Publisher : Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 13 : 1409474305
Total Pages : 474 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe by : Asst Prof Verena Theile

Download or read book Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe written by Asst Prof Verena Theile and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-03-28 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engaging with fiction and history-and reading both genres as texts permeated with early modern anxieties, desires, and apprehensions-this collection scrutinizes the historical intersection of early modern European superstitions and English stage literature. Contributors analyze the cultural mechanisms that shape, preserve, and transmit beliefs. They investigate where superstitions come from and how they are sustained and communicated within early modern European society. It has been proposed by scholars that once enacted on stage and thus brought into contact with the literary-dramatic perspective, belief systems that had been preserved and reinforced by historical-literary texts underwent a drastic change. By highlighting the connection between historical-literary and literary-dramatic culture, this volume tests and explores the theory that performance of superstitions opened the way to disbelief.

Superstition in Medicine

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Author :
Publisher : Good Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 124 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (64 download)

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Book Synopsis Superstition in Medicine by : Hugo Magnus

Download or read book Superstition in Medicine written by Hugo Magnus and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2021-05-19 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Superstition in Medicine is a book by Hugo Magnus. It examines in detail what superstition in medicine is, its roots and causes and provides a remedy against dogma usually caused by theological misinterpretation.

Modern Superstition. [Being the preface to “Beatrice.”]

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 36 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (18 download)

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Book Synopsis Modern Superstition. [Being the preface to “Beatrice.”] by : Catherine Sinclair

Download or read book Modern Superstition. [Being the preface to “Beatrice.”] written by Catherine Sinclair and published by . This book was released on 1857 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Popular Superstitions

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (319 download)

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Book Synopsis Popular Superstitions by : Charles Platt

Download or read book Popular Superstitions written by Charles Platt and published by . This book was released on 1925 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Modern Superstitions

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 3 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Modern Superstitions by :

Download or read book Modern Superstitions written by and published by . This book was released on 1877 with total page 3 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Believing in Magic

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 019999692X
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (999 download)

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Book Synopsis Believing in Magic by : Stuart A. Vyse

Download or read book Believing in Magic written by Stuart A. Vyse and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-11 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs.

Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein

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Author :
Publisher : Good Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (64 download)

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Book Synopsis Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein by : Herbert Mayo

Download or read book Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein written by Herbert Mayo and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-12-11 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein" by Herbert Mayo. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Superstitions of the Churches, Ancient and Modern

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (23 download)

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Book Synopsis Superstitions of the Churches, Ancient and Modern by : William R. Sunman

Download or read book Superstitions of the Churches, Ancient and Modern written by William R. Sunman and published by . This book was released on 1874 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317050673
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe by : Andrew D. McCarthy

Download or read book Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe written by Andrew D. McCarthy and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engaging with fiction and history-and reading both genres as texts permeated with early modern anxieties, desires, and apprehensions-this collection scrutinizes the historical intersection of early modern European superstitions and English stage literature. Contributors analyze the cultural mechanisms that shape, preserve, and transmit beliefs. They investigate where superstitions come from and how they are sustained and communicated within early modern European society. It has been proposed by scholars that once enacted on stage and thus brought into contact with the literary-dramatic perspective, belief systems that had been preserved and reinforced by historical-literary texts underwent a drastic change. By highlighting the connection between historical-literary and literary-dramatic culture, this volume tests and explores the theory that performance of superstitions opened the way to disbelief.

Just Smoke and Mirrors

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Author :
Publisher : iUniverse
ISBN 13 : 1469702738
Total Pages : 141 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (697 download)

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Book Synopsis Just Smoke and Mirrors by : W. Sumner Davis

Download or read book Just Smoke and Mirrors written by W. Sumner Davis and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2003-01-16 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it about mythology, mysticism and pseudoscience that has such a vast appeal to us? From dark roomed seances, to Tarot cards and Ouija boards, to Astrology and Rune stones, American Culture seems fascinated by the paranormal. Has our society lost faith in the age old institutions of religion? Or are we attempting to escape what many feel is a mundane reality? In this latest book, we will explore this search for wonder, and examine its negative effects on true science and critical thought.

Inventing Superstition

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Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674040694
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis Inventing Superstition by : Dale B. Martin

Download or read book Inventing Superstition written by Dale B. Martin and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Roman author Pliny the Younger characterizes Christianity as “contagious superstition”; two centuries later the Christian writer Eusebius vigorously denounces Greek and Roman religions as vain and impotent “superstitions.” The term of abuse is the same, yet the two writers suggest entirely different things by “superstition.” Dale Martin provides the first detailed genealogy of the idea of superstition, its history over eight centuries, from classical Greece to the Christianized Roman Empire of the fourth century C.E. With illuminating reference to the writings of philosophers, historians, and medical teachers he demonstrates that the concept of superstition was invented by Greek intellectuals to condemn popular religious practices and beliefs, especially the belief that gods or other superhuman beings would harm people or cause disease. Tracing the social, political, and cultural influences that informed classical thinking about piety and superstition, nature and the divine, Inventing Superstition exposes the manipulation of the label of superstition in arguments between Greek and Roman intellectuals on the one hand and Christians on the other, and the purposeful alteration of the idea by Neoplatonic philosophers and Christian apologists in late antiquity. Inventing Superstition weaves a powerfully coherent argument that will transform our understanding of religion in Greek and Roman culture and the wider ancient Mediterranean world.

Fearful Spirits, Reasoned Follies

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Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 0801467314
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Fearful Spirits, Reasoned Follies by : Michael D. Bailey

Download or read book Fearful Spirits, Reasoned Follies written by Michael D. Bailey and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2013-05-10 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Superstitions are commonplace in the modern world. Mostly, however, they evoke innocuous images of people reading their horoscopes or avoiding black cats. Certain religious practices might also come to mind-praying to St. Christopher or lighting candles for the dead. Benign as they might seem today, such practices were not always perceived that way. In medieval Europe superstitions were considered serious offenses, violations of essential precepts of Christian doctrine or immutable natural laws. But how and why did this come to be? In Fearful Spirits, Reasoned Follies, Michael D. Bailey explores the thorny concept of superstition as it was understood and debated in the Middle Ages. Bailey begins by tracing Christian thinking about superstition from the patristic period through the early and high Middle Ages. He then turns to the later Middle Ages, a period that witnessed an outpouring of writings devoted to superstition-tracts and treatises with titles such as De superstitionibus and Contra vitia superstitionum. Most were written by theologians and other academics based in Europe's universities and courts, men who were increasingly anxious about the proliferation of suspect beliefs and practices, from elite ritual magic to common healing charms, from astrological divination to the observance of signs and omens. As Bailey shows, however, authorities were far more sophisticated in their reasoning than one might suspect, using accusations of superstition in a calculated way to control the boundaries of legitimate religion and acceptable science. This in turn would lay the conceptual groundwork for future discussions of religion, science, and magic in the early modern world. Indeed, by revealing the extent to which early modern thinkers took up old questions about the operation of natural properties and forces using the vocabulary of science rather than of belief, Bailey exposes the powerful but in many ways false dichotomy between the "superstitious" Middle Ages and "rational" European modernity.

Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317050681
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe by : Andrew D. McCarthy

Download or read book Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe written by Andrew D. McCarthy and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engaging with fiction and history-and reading both genres as texts permeated with early modern anxieties, desires, and apprehensions-this collection scrutinizes the historical intersection of early modern European superstitions and English stage literature. Contributors analyze the cultural mechanisms that shape, preserve, and transmit beliefs. They investigate where superstitions come from and how they are sustained and communicated within early modern European society. It has been proposed by scholars that once enacted on stage and thus brought into contact with the literary-dramatic perspective, belief systems that had been preserved and reinforced by historical-literary texts underwent a drastic change. By highlighting the connection between historical-literary and literary-dramatic culture, this volume tests and explores the theory that performance of superstitions opened the way to disbelief.