What Is Magic?

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  • 呪術とは何か
  • 呪術とは何か : 近代呪術概念の定義と宗教的認識
  • ジュジュツ トワ ナニ カ : キンダイ ジュジュツ ガイネン ノ テイギ ト シュウキョウテキ ニンシキ
  • The Definition of the Modern Concept of Magic and Religious Cognition
  • 近代呪術概念の定義と宗教的認識

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<p>In a previous study, the author argued that the core character of magic was not its analogical inferences but the actualization of thoughts. As cognitive science developed, it was revealed that analogical inference is not limited within "magic," but a universal cognitive function. Therefore, a new theory of magic became necessary to understand the character of the intellectual world of magic. To establish the new theory, the author introduced the idea of the "actualization of thoughts." In this paper, by deepening the idea of actualization of thoughts, the author attempts to solve the problem of the definition of the modern concept of magic, putting forward a new definition of it. The author asserts here that the core character of the modern concept of magic is its inclusiveness, and that the inclusiveness caused by "magic" denotes an inference actualized by religious cognition.</p> <p>Recent arguments on the concept of magic are confusing. While some scholars assert that the modern concept of magic should be abolished, others suggest that it should still be maintained. In the author's view, that inconsistency derives from those scholars' lack of understanding of the inclusiveness of the modern concept of magic. While they attempt to introduce alternative concepts to magic, they ignore the fact that the modern concept of magic has historically developed as an inclusive concept. The core character of the modern concept of magic is its inclusiveness, and its modernity rests on that point.</p> <p>(View PDF for the rest of the abstract.) </p>

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