Magic and the Supernatural - Lancaster University

Surviving in the World of the Machines: the Developmental
Psychologist’s Account of Magical Belief in the Age of Science
Eugene Subbotsky
Abstract
The hypothesis under test was that initially, magical beliefs appear in children is a
legitimate, conscious form of beliefs that coexists with the belief in physical
causality; in older children and adults, under the pressure from science and
religion, magical beliefs do not disappear but go into the domain of the
subconscious. Empirical evidence for this hypothesis is summarized, theoretical
and practical implications of the existence of hidden magical beliefs in modern
western adults are discussed.
Key Words: Magical beliefs, western cultures, science, religion, physical
causality.
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1. Problem
Since the time of Galileo (1564–1642), Western civilization has been
increasingly falling under the spell of science. Two monotheistic religions
dominant in the Western world – Judaism and Christianity – that have been
fighting with magic for millennia, have in Science a major ally. So, why are
magical beliefs still there? Perhaps, they survive in same way that small mammals
survived in the age of dinosaurs: by hiding underground, in the depth of the
subconscious.
The hypothesis under test in the series of studies presented in this chapter was
therefore as follows:
Initially, magical beliefs (MBs) appear in children as a
legitimate, conscious form of beliefs that coexist with the belief
in physical causality; later, under the pressure from science and
religion, MBs go into the domain of the subconscious.
If this main hypothesis is true, then the following empirically verifiable effects
should be observed:
1. Young and preschool children should endorse MBs to the
same extent that they endorse the belief in physical causality,
both in their verbal explanations of unusual effects and in
their behavioral reactions: