On Magical Thinking L.H. Abrahamian Current Anthropology, Vol. 19, No. 1. (Mar., 1978), p. 172. Stable URL: hip linksjstor. orgie sici=O01 132049528 19780392919%3A | 53C 17283 AOMT%3E2.0.CORIB2-O Current Anthropology is currently published by The University of Chicago Press. ‘Your se of the ISTOR archive indicates your acceptance of ISTOR’s Terms and Conditions of Use, available at htipsfwww.jstor.orglabouttems.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part that ualess you have oblained prior peemission, you may not download aa catire issue ofa journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use cootent in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commectcial use. Please contact the publisher regavdling any fusther use ofthis wark. Publisher contact information may be obtained at hup./forwow jstor.org/jaurnalsfucpress. hte, Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright aotice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission, an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of scholarly journals. For more information regarding ISTOR, please contact support @jstor.org, hup:svwo jstor orgy Tue Dee $ 13:04:25 2006On Magical Thinking by L, HL Ameawancran Institute of Ethnography, Academy of Sciences, USSR, Dow. Uliano 19, Moscow 117036, USSR. 12 vit 7 Hak oswewer Ufeusep (CA 1897-88), npx onenwe cea ravioem epiiimck sapacs4B npomansen wore qcoGerracta, NpuSmrsarocur ero NunIEKE® H yartcccrouy: ope oposite MHA KAN HANK OME BYAIOR YeRePAZeRMUEO exoncrae ¢ yraepenenum a aeparocta eapmaean (, 642), TBeraams, meptoeeniits % cretve, eHOTy? HAMOMIMETS WHE -ratucx moperukon KaRGA pounaro mex, wax 9. B. Tafnop Jae @penneps. 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BE npeoGesonanune Tamtnes 2! = 2 ~ af, Repenorsgee oxy ucreny RoopRGaT 3 ADYCy, "EH Wl poser KyIO—eM eo be unseuaerans, 2” = 2 Bayo 18 YMA, 70 DN 1459 Boe FO npaua ekopoers Gram yencod symm. Ho eax nan apoeton eTomek THE YoU TOs, a oNa BOF Ne NpOHEXONIT, Tat nope, ra npr ooreHomnoce—e KpOUeeeNu ot eAe spews paao wysno, Terowy abt w xopue Gegnaxtno, abst More on the Primitive Norm by LL Axpanvey Viadimir Pedagogical Institute, Moscow, USS.R 1 vie 77 Bynyrar no merype nocowucton, XOUY RAAT ¢ pacexorper kmo¥onoro noua mpeanecaavon Lepanmuen (CA 1&A0-12) onMENK—o HORA SMOHOHOME, TloMexy ex, H NOES wopaea? (Cremumo, nepsas enoTh ravineta cnonosaseTatien MpisBEns m2 Seer eK He Ra Hysenora enomaRTA, Tax ofinesom, eworope sprartwecane neoconmaearsae cee! (BRsHOM enya apace weak wep Roxie) sory® 8 paRNoy, exer ssa Ra EY nHCe, 2K Eee UNS. [As Shweder (CA 18:637-48) has noted, in everyday jude- ments about personality normal adults show many features jn which thelr thinking approximates the magica: “Normal adults are magical thinkers; they confuse propositions sbaut likeness with propositions about, co-occurrence kelibood” {p. 612). The views expressed in the article, as Shweder writes, “ome may find reminiscent of such late 19th-century theorists a5 E. B. Tylor and J. G. Frazer" What seems euch more frcitful, however, i thst the artidle arouses in- terest in everyday’ language’ in. the Wittzensteinian sense, Further, Shweders conclusion abot the magical nature of everyday thinking. seems to be extended to a wider range ff phenomena rather than restricted ta judgments about er sonality, CCurfously, the development of modern technology may even favour the strenathening of certain archaic ideas hich con- tribute to magical thinking, For example, in addition to of Fesing speed and comfort, sadern airliners in fact help to Geny (in a psychological’ sense} the path from one point to another. Children alsa are often inclined fa juxtapose the starting point and the destination of a jaumey, neglecting the path itself; ¥ have observed, for example, a three-year-old girl on 2 visit being very discancerted by the discovery that Ther home wasn't right outside the doot. This is eonsonant with many magical actions dealing with the way and with sts starting point and end, which are often identified or trans- posed (45 8 particular tase of operating with “stil!” and “altezly”), Modern szoving belts are another examle, This technical innovation is astonishingly similar to idess about the even way and the beaten teack--cf. the magical rolling ‘dew in fairy tales ax the ancient Chinese pravetb about the road that tums intg a ver after having been traveled far + thousend years ‘Magical thinking may become apparent in everyday tite in the most unexpected way. When one paces unessily co and fro, while time creeps slowly and painfully along, one is hur- rying time as if ina magical mode. In the Galilean trans- formation 2” = x — af, which transforms one coordinate sys tem into another, the term at is equal to 2aro—'nothing is changing,” x’ 2. A scientist would say that during all that ie the speed was equal to zero, but an ordinary tan waite ing in vain for something ta happen would say thas time had stopped—that time was equal t0 zer0 in the product ot. This the reasorrome paces is to make the term wf move out of its aero state, That is certain archaic unconscious units (time as 4 measure of mation, in this example) may contebute to scientific as well as magical thinking ] Soon eumereennocr, yRruarbNOsKD NprEyUErG PHO Ddranaw nepsofirrwootupsnvon dopuasue engoata. coqwarienar pervanspoesit, Konetuenae woronK xorapace TepmuTe ‘eraauok oprasieaxin upertosea, Ho © Takow cay wee 90 ~ We TOrHeO (Wt He cromsKe) eNO, ewesENG AOsKEE peryAATOR comamuee omiomeng, N69 oF NeIGENIO cHMERpERIR, ‘oxwatsiary cexate paaruronme, no eyizectay nos ctopone aome= on mine npg xpyry {0 Gem naaner aanop) HK mpMpose Co ‘te arTop, * camaserinn, He ymoumnaer). Bortteser concrete mpasonepsocr’ ynowpesnenact ® Kass rosravete u atopait Wacrd juowssyoro endaoco¥erasR