Are you superstitious?
If the scientist can be superstitious or can he have respect for superstitions?
Can a scientist completely ignore superstitions if he does not research them scientifically?
Are superstitions an atavistic element of culture?
Are they atavistic remnants of the ancient times when people have explained the occurrence of puzzling, unrecognized scientific atmospheric, climatic, cosmic phenomena, etc., explaining this by the action of higher, supernatural forces, etc.?
Please reply
I invite you to the discussion
Thank you very much
Best wishes
I am not superstitious, and I think superstition is completely contrary to the scientific spirit. But, at same time, a scientist should also not completely ignore superstitions, and, if possible, study them closely. An attitude that is present, for example, from the origin of Medicine, with Hippocrates, when he studied epilepsy, “sacred illness” as it was known: are well known Hippocratic condemnations against all those interpreted illness as a result of divine anger.
Of course a scientist can be highly superstitious against religion for example. He can also suffer severely from OCD and must calculate windows on one side of the street or must jump over certain stones on the street, or need to see a certain number on a car in order to get a "happy" day:)
I am not superstitious, and I think superstition is completely contrary to the scientific spirit. But, at same time, a scientist should also not completely ignore superstitions, and, if possible, study them closely. An attitude that is present, for example, from the origin of Medicine, with Hippocrates, when he studied epilepsy, “sacred illness” as it was known: are well known Hippocratic condemnations against all those interpreted illness as a result of divine anger.
I'm moderately superstitious. I like to think that superstitions are the continuation of a Weltanschauung in which all the things of the world are linked together in a network. If Kuhn is right, we have little reason to consider the current Weltanschauung superior to the previous one.
A scientist search everything, trying to explore everything, but not accept anything. A scientist always asking.
I have a very simple recipe, which works all the time: fingers crossed, and luck will stay with you, a bit of garlic and the devil (but also every person of interest) will stay away from you, give an evil eyes to others, and you will prevent curses.
Have a good laugh now, if you are a scientist, and if you can't, don't try to be one.
Lol
"(...) But superstition hath been the conclusion of many states; and bringeth in a new primum mobile, that ravisheth all the spheres of government. The master of superstition is the people; and in all superstition, wise men follow fools; and arguments are fitted to practice, in a reversed order. I was gravely said, by some of the prelates, in the Council of Trent, wher the doctrine of the schoolmen bare great sway; that the schoolmen were like astronomers, which did feign eccentrics and epicycles, and such engines of orbs, to save the phenomena; though they knew, there were no such things: and, in like manner, that the schoolmen had framed a number of subtle and intricate axioms, and theorems, to save the practice of the Church. The causes of superstition are: pleasing and sensual rites and ceremonies; excess of outward and pharisaical holiness; over-great reverence of traditions, which cannot but load the Church; the stratagems of prelates for their own ambitions and lucre; the favouring too much of good intentions, which openeth the gate to conceits and novelties; the taking an aim at divine matters by human, which cannot but breed mixture of imaginations; and lastly, barbarous times, especially joined with calamities and disasters. Superstition , without a veil, is a deformed thing; for , as it addeth deformity to an ape, to be so like a man; so the similitude of superstition to religion, makes it the more deformed. (...)There is a superstition , in avoiding superstition; when men think to do best, if they go furthest from the superstition fomerly received: therefore, care would be had, that (as it fareth in ill purgings) the good be not taken away with he bad; which commonly is done, when the people is the reformer."
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Essays ("Of Superstition")
True scientific attitude always act against all types of superstition.
But in reality, it is not easy to be free from all kind of suspensions, as they develops during the growing stage of life (from childhood).
As example, almost all researchers have deep trust on everything considered as true in his/ her religion.
But there are many things in each and every religions which are impractical and nothing but some superstitions.
It is not easy to identify them as some superstitions by the concerned researcher.
Even existence of ghost, demon, angel etc. are considered as true by many researchers and many questions/ discussions are there in Research Gate forum regarding them!!!!
Scientists seek the truth and truth only. Seeking the truth is highly challenging. You need to put a lot of commitment, patient, passion, and sacrifice to it. Facts or hypotheses are verified with "true data" before they are established. I do not think a good scientist will just swallow fact. Science goes beyond "seeing and believing".
Just like being a scientist and being religious are not mutually exclusive, believing in superstition and being a scientist are also not mutually exclusive. One can be highly rational yet childhood influences and upbringing can foster superstitious and irrational beliefs.
Superstitious is a belief which individual can play with his mind & brain by thinking related to his belief which has no base.
This is my personal opinion
We are people of different background l, culture and tradition.
Superstition is the implicit aknowledgement of the human thinking process that accept the fact that our knowledge and understanding of nature is incomplete , we cannot control what we do not fully understand, this lack of control of things have led to concept of existence of
hidden natural forces that cannot be controlled but can be appeased through human actions.
Science on the other hand seeks to push the boundary of our knowledge and understanding forward , through logical reasoning and deduction based on observation and experimentation, thereby reducing the domain of our ignorance, and striking out the prevalence of superstition from human lives.
I believe every human being is rational as well as superstitious to certain extent, rationality comes from what we already know, understand and in a sense can predict, superstition comes from our ignorance and lack of understanding.
We are different and trust comes from upbringing, religious views, personal attitude, fatigue .....................
I'm superstitious, of course. I even have a special dream after which things happen. I believe that on the way to work if I listen to certain music, the event during the day will be successful.
Science disagrees with superstition but magic happens. Science cannot explain magic.
"Then just take a look round and make sure that none of the uninitiated overhears us. I mean by the uninitiated the people who believe that nothing is real save what they can grasp with their hands and do not admit that actions or processes or anything invisible can count as real." (Socrates in Plato's Theaetetus)
Not really clear, what superstition all includes. If we include many aspects of the supernatural it might just be that so far it is beyond scientific perception and explanation, but sometime in future it will be understood and becomes 'natural'
I think to do a constructive project you should forget the superstition
No, I'm not superstitious, but sometimes soberly think about something when all the other people around me are superstitious in the same.
Scientist formulates statement, hypothesis; gathers materials for practical experimentation to prove the guesses or facts in question (in physical sciences, the budget may be huge as per proposal); follow procedures; carry out rigorous analyses of data acquired from the experiment; discuss results and generate conclusions and produce evidence or evidences as the case may be. So in that way, facts are established. superstition has no established procedure to follow. Just swallow the facts! No questioning!
Dear Friends and Colleagues of RG,
If the scientist can be superstitious or can he have respect for superstitions?
Can a scientist completely ignore superstitions if he does not research them scientifically?
Are superstitions an atavistic element of culture?
Are they atavistic remnants of the ancient times when people have explained the occurrence of puzzling, unrecognized scientific atmospheric, climatic, cosmic phenomena, etc., explaining this by the action of higher, supernatural forces, etc.?
Please reply
I invite you to the discussion
Thank you very much
Best wishes
Don't modern scientists explain natural phenomena by the action of supernatural agents (e.g., electron, photon, and other virtual, non-existing elementary particles)? How does light, or more correctly, illumination, "travel" through space? What is a more fitting metaphor: "a child in a middle of a pond flapping its arms and thus creating waves that reach the shore" or "aether perturbation" or "photons"?
What difference does it make if the first principles are called "gods" rather than "first principles," if both refer to the same agents? What is a more skillful approach, personification or the lack thereof?
Dear readers,
I am replying with a question. Do inexplicable phenomena and coincidences exist?
Regards ...
I think that structured knowledge (including science) and beliefs are different facets of the mind of everyone, and they are both necessary. Beliefs help us keeping our emotional stability.
Concerning superstition, it is usually connected with deep zones of our subconscious and has a psychological meaning that is no apparent. I agree with s. Béatrice Marianne that it usually indicates OCD traits. For instance, when a person avoids passing below a ladder, he/she is likely preventing the development of stressing thoughts, even when he/she does not realize it.
Furthermore, not all true knowledge must be scientific (e.g., all philosophy), and science is just a provisional knowledge which is more supported by statements and interpretations than by facts.
Can I recommend the following recipe: when someone is casting you an evil spell, you put your hands in your pockets and cross your fingers.
It has worked in practice for me so far, since I am still speaking to you on researchgate which means that I have survived spells and maledictions.
QED
Or LOL?
i avoid putting anything on top of a book; i prefer going around things rather than going over them, not to mention stepping on them; i try to avoid stepping on writings/paintings on the sidewalk; i bow to a Buddha statue every time i walk by it; i bow to a Jesus on a cross whenever i see one; i bow to trees at random; i high-five tree branches at random when i am running; sometimes i bow to a toilet bowl after use; when i enter/leave a forest, i bow to the entire forest and i make a specific hand sign (whose origin i don't remember). All thoughts and actions matter. There is not a single thought or a single action without an effect. Just because the effect is not quantifiable is not a proof of the absence of the effect. Why? Because the source of the phenomenal realm is not physical. (And the Buddha and Jesus symbols both point to the origin.)
When i realized that my refrigerator makes the same cracking noise as my spine, i laughed and bowed to the refrigerator. Yes, even a refrigerator has its own identity (and a proper share of consciousness).
Most processes, phenomena and knowledge appeared superstitious prior to understanding them. At one time, people considered scientists as superstitious, when they said earth is a sphere, earth pulls us down, etc. Things appear supernatural till we understand their mechanisms. Spirits, ghosts, atma, etc that are fundamentals of spirituality and yet remain unexplained by material sciences. Superstition is basically fear of the unknown or un-understood. Why would any one expect any scientist not to be superstitious till he/she understands every thing, as there has come end of science. We believe what science has discovered, yet we need not be fools to challenge what science has yet to discover.
Dear Colleagues and Friends from RG, The above discussion inspired me to formulate the following question: What is the impact of transcendental, timeless, paraphylosophical, scientological, axiological, mythological, faith, art etc. values on the development of modern science?
In view of the above, in the context of the considerations carried out during the above discussion, interesting observations, conclusions and conclusions appeared. To the above discussion I would like to add the following conclusion formulated as a summary of my earlier considerations on this topic: The development of science has always been determined by the progress of civilization, equipping the national economy with specific production factors and with the potential for production, intellectual, development, etc. Currently in technical, biotechnological and information sciences , medical, etc., the importance of developing scientific research increases, the results of which in the form of new patents, innovative technologies and new technical improvements are used in industry and are becoming key, new production factors increasing the economic development of the country and raising the standard of civilization of citizens. There are more and more clusters in which enterprises cooperate with science centers, universities and scientific institutes in order to direct the research to create innovative solutions that will quickly find practical application in industry. There are more and more examples of cooperation between public institutions, science institutions and commercially operating business entities.
However, will the starting point for this type of considerations be the assumption that all research processes and ongoing scientific research projects end with specific research results, verified research thesis, conclusions and these conclusions obtained will be useful for the needs of subsequent scientific research, etc. technological and technical various fields of science. In fields such as: Data Science, Internet of Things, Big Data Analysis, Blockchain, Bioelectromagnetics, Electrical Engineering, Public Health, Communication Engineering, Computing in Mathematics, Natural Science, Engineering and Medicine, Big Data Analysis, Sensor Networks, Electromagnetic Fields, Bioelectromagnetics, ... etc. - the range of applications for ICT, Industry 4.0, internet and other information technologies is high.
Therefore, in such fields of knowledge and science that are characterized by a high level of technicalization, computerization, technology, digitization and other aspects of advanced work objectification, rapid technological development, continuation of technical progress, creation of new inventions, innovative technologies etc. are possible therefore, in such fields of knowledge and science, during implemented research projects, the effect of these research processes may be new, innovative technologies that will quickly be used in specific industries and will participate, will be used, and will be an important manufacturing factor for the production of specific products showing physical characteristics or services offered. Especially many such examples of the use of the effects of scientific research are found in developing knowledge-based economies, i.e. also on technology, information, innovations, entrepreneurship, etc.
However, not all fields of knowledge and science have such technical and technological character, etc. This is related to their specificity of a particular scientific discipline and the fact that not everything that surrounds a human being is technology. Of course, the progress of civilization has increased the scope of the importance of technology in the human environment. However, technology is only meant to serve man, help in everyday existence, in professional activity, conducted works, including research and analytical ones. However, technology cannot replace everything and does not solve all key problems, including global ones. However, technological development should be directed in such directions that as many key, including global problems as possible in the future are solved thanks to the development of technology. So global problems of uneven economic development of individual countries, problems related to climate change caused by growing greenhouse gas emissions, problems of decreasing fresh water resources, green areas, increasing environmental pollution, growing waste heaps and toxic waste, etc. Technological development should be in the 21st century age in such a way that these problems are solved.
On the other hand, not all fields of knowledge and science have the attributes of high technology, not all areas of human activity relate to the use of advanced technologies. In addition to technology, there are many other values in human life, including transcendental values that do not have physical features, and which are also important to man and some of them most important. Such issues are also dealt with by specific fields of knowledge and in the scientific research carried out there is not the purpose of creating a physical product, but to clarify the essence of the process, e.g. biochemical, operation of a phenomenon, e.g. natural or cosmological, functioning of entire societies, psychophysical, sociobiological processes, etc. in this type of not quantitative but rather qualitative, humanistic, artistic and other areas of human existence may require the use of technology during research. However, their result does not have to be a physical product or the improvement of a particular technology but they are also important.
The best life experiences and lessons are the ones that you remember for a long time only in positive feelings. The best life experiences and lessons are those during which we experienced only positive truths, positive values, during which we received wise knowledge from other people, we received spiritual help that strengthened us, and which positive values we receive are willingly passed on to other people, including our students. The best life experiences and lessons are those that provided us with transcendental, timeless, positive truths and spiritual values that make us feel that our personality has been positively strengthened. In view of the above, transcendental experiences and timeless truths that we learn throughout our lives through exploring science are particularly important. Otherwise
In the current era of implementing ICT and Industry 4.0 information technologies into research processes perfected for the development of scientific research, it is also important to develop other aspects of the research methodology and the importance of science. Therefore, the influence of transcendental, timeless, paraphylosophical, scientological, axiological, mythological, faith, art etc. values on the development of modern science is also significant. It is therefore necessary to take into account these issues to determine their importance for the development of modern science and its role for the development of civilization.
Do you agree with me on the above matter?
In view of the above, I am asking you the following questions:
- Should the world of science be completely independent of other organizations, autonomous towards various pressure groups and lobbies, apolitical and therefore fully objective in conducted research and in issued opinions on conducted research, developed fields of science and interpretation of scientific results?
- Should the world of science have features of transcendence, possibilities of holistic approach to complex, including international and global problems?
Information globalization, which is advancing due to the development of the Internet, can facilitate these processes. It is also necessary to develop independent, objective media in which comments appear on scientific research results published in scientific publications.
- Is the development of computerized advanced information processing technologies, i.e. technologies typical of the current technological revolution referred to as Industry 4.0, currently among the main determinants shaping contemporary philosophical concepts describing the role of science and scientific research?
- What is the impact of transcendental, timeless, paraphylosophical, scientological, axiological, mythological, faith, art etc. values on the development of modern science?
What do you think about this topic?
What is your opinion on this topic?
Please reply
I invite you to discussion
Thank you very much
Best wishes
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Dariusz Prokopowicz , since there is no such thing as scientific method, anything goes.
When people believe in things that can not be explained with today's scientific findings, it is questionable whether those should be categorized as superstitious... Predictors maintain a strong epistemological and ethical concern with accurately accounting for reality, identifying Yijing prediction positively as “scientific” or as compatible with “science,” against other forms of knowledge like religion and Marxism, which are considered “superstitious” and inaccurate. Predictors thus appropriate and redefine the prevailing discourse of knowledge legitimacy based on their individual epistemological perspectives... Matthews, W. (2017). Making “science” from “superstition”: conceptions of knowledge legitimacy among contemporary Yijing diviners. Journal of Chinese Religions, 45(2), 173-196.
From uttering a prayer before boarding a plane, to exploring past lives through hypnosis, has superstition become pervasive in contemporary culture? Robert Park, the author of Voodoo Science, argues that it has... Park, R. L. (2008). Superstition: Belief in the age of science. Princeton University Press.
Science as is believed to be something realistic which even makes the unreal real; the unachievable achievable. Science in itself is a sweet beginning and sometimes a bitter ending whereas superstitions have neither beginning nor end; it is complete in itself. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/changingminds/science-superstition-10521/
Psychologists who have investigated what role superstitions play, have found that they derive from the assumption that a connection exists between co-occurring, non-related events. For instance, the notion that charms promote good luck, or protect you from bad luck. https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/the-science-of-superstition-and-why-people-believe-in-the-unbelievable-97043
It's difficult for a scientist to be superstitious. Superstitions are self-imposed selfish beliefs, something imaginary yet unimaginable disbelief, or mere beliefs. But science – the most well-known and popular word of this era. Science as is believed to be something realistic which even makes the unreal real; the unachievable achievable. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/changingminds/science-superstition-10521/
Dear Chinaza Godswill Awuchi,
Yes, that's right for researchers and scientists, it's hard to be superstitious. The aim of scientific research is to discover the sources of yet unknown phenomena, and therefore there are less and less prejudices.
Best regards,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Thanks to the development of science, the number of topics considered to be supernatural, parapsychological, supernatural, surreal, etc. is gradually decreasing, because what was previously mysterious and unknown, but unexplained thanks to the development of scientific research, is explained and defined.
Regards,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Dear Gioacchino de Candia,
Thank you for your response. Yes, the development of scientific research results in solving the problems of civilization development, expanding knowledge resources, generating new discoveries and objective explanations of the essence of phenomena that were previously unclear, undefined, mysterious, etc. This reduces the scope of superstitions.
Greetings,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Science seems to generate new superstitions by those ill-equipped to assess facts and proofs of scientific nature.
The education gap sometimes gets bigger, and it's not appearing where you expect it most, it's there, anywhere, like a curse.
Quote from a conversation heard before the pandemic on the tube line from London center to Heathrow Airport, the accent of the speaker was US: "Waoo Jack, look at the moon. It's big. Is it the same moon that we have back home?"
Interesting belief from a young female American citizen (correction "maybe citizen" , I had no access to her voting rights status) that there may be several moons around the earth.
Unheard of in science after Copernicus, Galileo, Newton...
Does it hint at an educational gap catastrophe?
I could not believe my ears and eyes, I started to fear that the devil of ignorance (leading to the devil of intolerance) was made human a d circulated among us mere mortals.
Was I being superstitious?
In theory yes...
Nevertheless I believe in the cursed existence of the devil of ignorance and of the devil of intolerance.
News, true ones, with verified facts are full of the manifestation of these two devils everyday.
Now there are also strange scientists, those quoted by the BBC as saying "there are two types of cancers: those we understand and the bad-luck cancers"
How stupid to say, right? They say bad-luck where they should say "in need of more investigation".
Before science tackles a question, the question is "bad luck" to humans, but once science tackles it, its factors are categorised, modeled, and the "dark hand" of "bad luck" disappears.
Additional issue: so much stupid has been said on probabilistic events, it's difficult to recover.
When faced with the issue, I use the Russian roulette model and the probability of surviving "playing it" for people to realise how serious probability is.
Furthermore many people believe that there is "one probability law" when any scientist should know there is any type of probability measure, not "the" probability measure.
This reminds me of a joke, true story, army time:
-my supervising sergeant told me "if you take a direction at random and walk, you've got 3/4 of chances to get it wrong"
-I laughed, that's me, I should not have but I did
-then my supervising captain told me: "I know why you laugh. It's not 3/4 it's 359/360 because there is not just north, south, east, west, but 360 degrees"
-I struggled not to laugh even louder.
It's not just superstition, it's other things too!
Superstitions were nothing but to entertain the human mind or direct it in certain directions when it was young, no more
"I think superstition is completely contrary to the scientific spirit." --- Correct; but scientists say and do many things which do not seem compatible with scientific discourse & methodology. I read somewhere that there are some hundred million scientists in the world. You can expect that there all kind of people in such a large population.
Regardless of whether one is superstitious or not, it is better not to ignore how others around you think and behave.
Mario Radovan shared interesting thoughts. This leads me to "belief and science", and can a scientist be unbiased, not in his/her daily life, not even when finding ideas (some bias one way or the other may inform how we find things), but when writing scientific proofs and working on evidence?
Take Blaise Pascal and his "bet" or "wager": he tried to convince people using mathematical expectation that one has an interest to believe in God. Somewhat biased, even a genius like him! He did not factor in that people may have completely different views, expectations, and goals.
REF:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager
Certainly I am not a superstitious believer ... Perhaps the scientist is looking for the truth to unveil some myths that have been given to a certain phenomenon that are still without clear explanation or are still unknown, and this certainly does not mean that he believes in superstitions.
Dear Prof. Prokopowicz!
You raised a topic of critical importance. I take COVID-19 as a case - context:
1) Sima Barmania, Michael J. Reiss (2020). Religion and Science in a Time of COVID-19: Allies or Adversaries? - Despite what some believe, they can work effectively together, June 11. 2020. © 2021 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, A DIVISION OF NATURE AMERICA, INC. Open access:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/religion-and-science-in-a-time-of-covid-19-allies-or-adversaries/
2) A case-study: Agley, J., Xiao, Y. Misinformation about COVID-19: evidence for differential latent profiles and a strong association with trust in science. BMC Public Health 21, 89 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10103-x Open access:
Article Misinformation about COVID-19: evidence for differential lat...
I conclude that a scientist can be superstitious and this fact most likely to lead to biased interpretation of facts. Still this is not necessarily the case all the time. I scientist might well overcome his or her beliefs when faced by evidence one cannot ignore.
Yours sincerely, Bulcsu Szekely
I think that no learner can believe in superstitions because they express ignorance. So the scientist never ignores his knowledge and never believes in that ignorance. This is my personal opinion on this issue.
Regards
https://theconversation.com/amp/the-science-of-superstition-and-why-people-believe-in-the-unbelievable-97043
Dear Dariusz Prokopowicz No, I am not superstitious, but of course a spiritual fellow.
Thanks!
I am not a superstitious believer, nor can a scientist believe in superstitions, but there are miracles that everyone believes in.
Dear authors, thank you for sharing this excellent question.
I agree with Prof. Di Francesco.
kind regards for all..
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Psychology