:''For the 1972 song by Stevie Wonder, see Superstition (song); for the 1991 album by Siouxsie & the Banshees, see Superstition (album).'' Superstition is a set of behaviors that are related to magical thinking, whereby the practitioner believes that the future, or the outcome of certain events, can be influenced by certain specified behaviors. The idea of "good luck" and "bad luck" gives rise to many superstitions, such as the belief that it is bad luck to wear gold and silver together. Superstition may be expressed in the terminology of religion, giving rise to skeptical thinkers' opinion that all religion is superstition. By its definition superstition is not based on reason. Many superstitions can be prompted by misunderstandings of causality or statistics. Others spring from enlightenment fears, which may be expressed in religious beliefs or practice, or to belief in extraordinary events, supernatural interventions, apparitions or in the efficacy of charms, incantations, the meaningfulness of omens and Prophecy. Any of the above can lead to unfounded fears, or excessive scrupulosity in outward observances. Fanaticism, some argue, arises from this same displaced religious feeling, in a state of high-wrought and self-confident excitement. Such unquestioning loyalty can apply to politics and ideology as well as religion; indeed, it can even be focused on sports teams and celebrity. See Baseball superstition for a series of such examples. Whatever the cause, superstition can lead to a disregard of reason under the false assumption of a divine or paranormal form of control over the universe. A gambler might credit a winning streak in poker to a "lucky rabbit's foot" or to sitting in a certain chair, rather than to skill or to the law of averages. An airline passenger might believe that it is a medal of St Christopher (traditional patron saint of travellers) that keeps him safe in the air, rather than the fact that airplanes statistically crash very rarely. Superstition is also used to refer to folklore belief systems, usually as juxtaposed to another religion's idea of the spiritual world, or as juxtaposed to science. === Superstition and behavioral psychology === The behaviorism psychology B.F. Skinner placed a series of hungry pigeons in a cage attached to an automatic mechanism that delivered food to the pigeon "at regular intervals with no reference whatsoever to the bird's behavior". He discovered that the pigeons associated the delivery of the food with whatever chance actions they had been performing as it was delivered, and that they continued to perform the same actions: :One bird was conditioned to turn counter-clockwise about the cage, making two or three turns between reinforcements. Another repeatedly thrust its head into one of the upper corners of the cage. A third developed a 'tossing' response, as if placing its head beneath an invisible bar and lifting it repeatedly. Two birds developed a pendulum motion of the head and body, in which the head was extended forward and swung from right to left with a sharp movement followed by a somewhat slower return. ("'Superstition' in the Pigeon", B.F. Skinner, ''Journal of Experimental Psychology'' #38, 1947 [http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Skinner/Pigeon/]) Skinner suggested that the pigeons believed that they were influencing the automatic mechanism with their "rituals" and that the experiment also shed light on human behavior: :The experiment might be said to demonstrate a sort of superstition. The bird behaves as if there were a causal relation between its behavior and the presentation of food, although such a relation is lacking. There are many analogies in human behavior. Rituals for changing one's luck at cards are good examples. A few accidental connections between a ritual and favorable consequences suffice to set up and maintain the behavior in spite of many unreinforced instances. The bowler who has released a ball down the alley but continues to behave as if he were controlling it by twisting and turning his arm and shoulder is another case in point. These behaviors have, of course, no real effect upon one's luck or upon a ball half way down an alley, just as in the present case the food would appear as often if the pigeon did nothing -- or, more strictly speaking, did something else. (''Ibid''.) Like the pigeons, many people associate behavior (head-turning or worship of God(s) ) with an external phenomenon (delivery of food or conquest by a foreign power) that was not necessarily connected in any way with personal behavior. Any misfortune could thus be interpreted as a sign of divine disfavor, whether or not the individuals who suffered bore direct responsibility. === Religious views on the subject of superstition === The Roman Catholic Church considers superstition to be sin in the sense that it denotes a lack of trust (sociology) in the divine providence of God and, as such, is a violation of the first of the Ten Commandments. The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' states superstition "in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion" (para. #2110). The ''Catechism'' even appears to turn a bit of a critical eye on Catholic doctrine whenever certain practices become frivolous or scrupulous: :Superstition is a deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand is to fall into superstition. Cf. ''Matthew 23:16-22'' (para. #2111) Atheism, Agnosticism and Freethought often see all Religious belief as a form of superstition. ==See Also== *Conspiracy theory *Folk religion *Idolatry *Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels With Science *Mediation (culture) *Magic (paranormal) and Magic (illusion) *Obsessive-compulsive disorder *Tradition, Custom, Practice, etc. *Triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13) *Fan death ===Books=== * Iona Opie & Moira Tatem - ''A Dictionary of Superstitions'' *Carl Sagan, 1995. ''The Demon-Haunted World : Science As a Candle in the Dark'' New York: Random House Some of this text was formerly from ''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary'' (1913) == External links == *[http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/superstition.html Superstition Robert Green Ingersoll] th:ความเชื่อโชคลาง cognitive biases
This is currently very hard definition. Most of us are influenced by superstition : lucky numbers, favourite items. Superstition is deeply embedded in most cultures : just think of launching ships with bottles of wine, 'touch wood' etc. But it's late and I have to work tomorrow :) User:Willsmith 16:27 Oct 21, 2002 (UTC) Don't you think superstition is just passing the responsibility on to someone else. Let it be fate, go == Headline text == od/bad luck or a black cat? It is bad luck to be supersticious. == religion == By defining superstition as ''misplaced'' religious feeling, the article suggests that there is a rightly placed religious feeling, even going so far as to give a Christian view of superstition. However, a lot of people would regard all religion as superstition. This would seem to be confirmed by the dictionary definition, which says nothing about ''misplaced'' attitudes: ''1. Unreasoning awe or fear of something unknown, mysterious, or imaginary, esp. in connexion with religion; religious belief or practice founded upon fear or ignorance. (b) In particularized sense: An irrational religious belief or practice; a tenet, scruple, habit, etc. founded on fear or ignorance. 2. An irrational religious system; a false, pagan, or idolatrous religion. (b) A religious ceremony or observance of a pagan or idolatrous character. (c) Religious observance.'' User:Shantavira 09:50, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Indeed. By defining superstition as ''misplaced'' religious feeling, we were keeping a lot of furious zanies snoozing safely in their cots... yow! here they come! --User:Wetman 22:29, 6 May 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Superstition:
Superstition
Superstition
Superstitions
Superstitions
Superstition_(album)
Superstition_(album)
Superstition_(song)
Superstition_(song)
Superstition_Mountains
Superstition
:''For the 1972 song by Stevie Wonder, see Superstition (song); for the 1991 album by Siouxsie & the Banshees, see Superstition (album).'' Superstition is a set of behaviors that are related to magical thinking, whereby the practitioner believes that the future, or the outcome of certain events, can be influenced by certain specified behaviors. The idea of "good luck" and "bad luck" gives rise to many superstitions, such as the belief that it is bad luck to wear gold and silver together. Superstition may be expressed in the terminology of religion, giving rise to skeptical thinkers' opinion that all religion is superstition. By its definition superstition is not based on reason. Many superstitions can be prompted by misunderstandings of causality or statistics. Others spring from enlightenment fears, which may be expressed in religious beliefs or practice, or to belief in extraordinary events, supernatural interventions, apparitions or in the efficacy of charms, incantations, the meaningfulness of omens and Prophecy. Any of the above can lead to unfounded fears, or excessive scrupulosity in outward observances. Fanaticism, some argue, arises from this same displaced religious feeling, in a state of high-wrought and self-confident excitement. Such unquestioning loyalty can apply to politics and ideology as well as religion; indeed, it can even be focused on sports teams and celebrity. See Baseball superstition for a series of such examples. Whatever the cause, superstition can lead to a disregard of reason under the false assumption of a divine or paranormal form of control over the universe. A gambler might credit a winning streak in poker to a "lucky rabbit's foot" or to sitting in a certain chair, rather than to skill or to the law of averages. An airline passenger might believe that it is a medal of St Christopher (traditional patron saint of travellers) that keeps him safe in the air, rather than the fact that airplanes statistically crash very rarely. Superstition is also used to refer to folklore belief systems, usually as juxtaposed to another religion's idea of the spiritual world, or as juxtaposed to science. === Superstition and behavioral psychology === The behaviorism psychology B.F. Skinner placed a series of hungry pigeons in a cage attached to an automatic mechanism that delivered food to the pigeon "at regular intervals with no reference whatsoever to the bird's behavior". He discovered that the pigeons associated the delivery of the food with whatever chance actions they had been performing as it was delivered, and that they continued to perform the same actions: :One bird was conditioned to turn counter-clockwise about the cage, making two or three turns between reinforcements. Another repeatedly thrust its head into one of the upper corners of the cage. A third developed a 'tossing' response, as if placing its head beneath an invisible bar and lifting it repeatedly. Two birds developed a pendulum motion of the head and body, in which the head was extended forward and swung from right to left with a sharp movement followed by a somewhat slower return. ("'Superstition' in the Pigeon", B.F. Skinner, ''Journal of Experimental Psychology'' #38, 1947 [http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Skinner/Pigeon/]) Skinner suggested that the pigeons believed that they were influencing the automatic mechanism with their "rituals" and that the experiment also shed light on human behavior: :The experiment might be said to demonstrate a sort of superstition. The bird behaves as if there were a causal relation between its behavior and the presentation of food, although such a relation is lacking. There are many analogies in human behavior. Rituals for changing one's luck at cards are good examples. A few accidental connections between a ritual and favorable consequences suffice to set up and maintain the behavior in spite of many unreinforced instances. The bowler who has released a ball down the alley but continues to behave as if he were controlling it by twisting and turning his arm and shoulder is another case in point. These behaviors have, of course, no real effect upon one's luck or upon a ball half way down an alley, just as in the present case the food would appear as often if the pigeon did nothing -- or, more strictly speaking, did something else. (''Ibid''.) Like the pigeons, many people associate behavior (head-turning or worship of God(s) ) with an external phenomenon (delivery of food or conquest by a foreign power) that was not necessarily connected in any way with personal behavior. Any misfortune could thus be interpreted as a sign of divine disfavor, whether or not the individuals who suffered bore direct responsibility. === Religious views on the subject of superstition === The Roman Catholic Church considers superstition to be sin in the sense that it denotes a lack of trust (sociology) in the divine providence of God and, as such, is a violation of the first of the Ten Commandments. The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' states superstition "in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion" (para. #2110). The ''Catechism'' even appears to turn a bit of a critical eye on Catholic doctrine whenever certain practices become frivolous or scrupulous: :Superstition is a deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand is to fall into superstition. Cf. ''Matthew 23:16-22'' (para. #2111) Atheism, Agnosticism and Freethought often see all Religious belief as a form of superstition. ==See Also== *Conspiracy theory *Folk religion *Idolatry *Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels With Science *Mediation (culture) *Magic (paranormal) and Magic (illusion) *Obsessive-compulsive disorder *Tradition, Custom, Practice, etc. *Triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13) *Fan death ===Books=== * Iona Opie & Moira Tatem - ''A Dictionary of Superstitions'' *Carl Sagan, 1995. ''The Demon-Haunted World : Science As a Candle in the Dark'' New York: Random House Some of this text was formerly from ''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary'' (1913) == External links == *[http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/superstition.html Superstition Robert Green Ingersoll] th:ความเชื่อโชคลาง cognitive biases
Superstition
This is currently very hard definition. Most of us are influenced by superstition : lucky numbers, favourite items. Superstition is deeply embedded in most cultures : just think of launching ships with bottles of wine, 'touch wood' etc. But it's late and I have to work tomorrow :) User:Willsmith 16:27 Oct 21, 2002 (UTC) Don't you think superstition is just passing the responsibility on to someone else. Let it be fate, go == Headline text == od/bad luck or a black cat? It is bad luck to be supersticious. == religion == By defining superstition as ''misplaced'' religious feeling, the article suggests that there is a rightly placed religious feeling, even going so far as to give a Christian view of superstition. However, a lot of people would regard all religion as superstition. This would seem to be confirmed by the dictionary definition, which says nothing about ''misplaced'' attitudes: ''1. Unreasoning awe or fear of something unknown, mysterious, or imaginary, esp. in connexion with religion; religious belief or practice founded upon fear or ignorance. (b) In particularized sense: An irrational religious belief or practice; a tenet, scruple, habit, etc. founded on fear or ignorance. 2. An irrational religious system; a false, pagan, or idolatrous religion. (b) A religious ceremony or observance of a pagan or idolatrous character. (c) Religious observance.'' User:Shantavira 09:50, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Indeed. By defining superstition as ''misplaced'' religious feeling, we were keeping a lot of furious zanies snoozing safely in their cots... yow! here they come! --User:Wetman 22:29, 6 May 2005 (UTC)
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SB | SC | SD | SE | SF | SG | SH | SI | SJ | SK | SL | SM | SN | SO | SP | SR | SS | ST | SU | SW | SX | SY | SZ |Words begining with Superstition:
Superstition
Superstition
Superstitions
Superstitions
Superstition_(album)
Superstition_(album)
Superstition_(song)
Superstition_(song)
Superstition_Mountains
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