Magic, explanations, and evil: the origins and design of witches and sorcerers - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Current Anthropology Année : 2021

Magic, explanations, and evil: the origins and design of witches and sorcerers

Manvir Singh
Pascal Boyer
  • Fonction : Auteur
Leeson, Peter T
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1101807
Mckay Ryan
Bentall, Richard P
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1101809
Sarah Peacey
  • Fonction : Auteur
Ruth Mace
  • Fonction : Auteur
Schimmelpfennig, Robin
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1101810
Muthukrishna, Michael
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1101811

Résumé

In nearly every documented society, people believe that some misfortunes are caused by malicious group mates using magic or supernatural powers. Here I report cross-cultural patterns in these beliefs and propose a theory to explain them. Using the newly created Mystical Harm Survey, I show that several conceptions of malicious mystical practitioners, including sorcerers (who use learned spells), possessors of the evil eye (who transmit injury through their stares and words), and witches (who possess superpowers, pose existential threats, and engage in morally abhorrent acts), recur around the world. I argue that these beliefs develop from three cultural selective processes: a selection for intuitive magic, a selection for plausible explanations of impactful misfortune, and a selection for demonizing myths that justify mistreatment. Separately, these selective schemes produce traditions as diverse as shamanism, conspiracy theories, and campaigns against heretics—but around the world, they jointly give rise to the odious and feared witch. I use the tripartite theory to explain the forms of beliefs in mystical harm and outline 10 predictions for how shifting conditions should affect those conceptions. Societally corrosive beliefs can persist when they are intuitively appealing or they serve some believers’ agendas.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-03256601 , version 1 (10-06-2021)

Identifiants

Citer

Manvir Singh, Pascal Boyer, Leeson, Peter T, Mckay Ryan, Bentall, Richard P, et al.. Magic, explanations, and evil: the origins and design of witches and sorcerers. Current Anthropology, 2021, 62 (1), pp.2-29. ⟨10.1086/713111⟩. ⟨hal-03256601⟩
34 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Mastodon Facebook X LinkedIn More