Author: Stuart Vyse
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192551310
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 169
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Book Description
Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Is breaking a mirror just an expensive waste of glass, or something rather more sinister? Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. A recent survey of adults in the United States found that 33 percent believed that finding a penny was good luck, and 23 percent believed that the number seven was lucky. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today? This Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. For two millennia, superstition was a label derisively applied to foreign religions and unacceptable religious practices, and its primary purpose was used to separate groups and assert religious and social authority. After the Enlightenment, the superstition label was still used to define groups, but the new dividing line was between reason and unreason. Today, despite our apparent sophistication and technological advances, superstitious belief and behaviour remain widespread, and highly educated people are not immune. Stuart Vyse takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Author: Stuart A. Vyse
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019999692X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 329
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Book Description
In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs.
Author: Catherine Wilson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019968832X
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 161
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Book Description
This very short introudction corrects the prevalent view of Epicureanism that often conjures up ideas of tasty delights and hedonism. Wilson explains the philosophical and scientific ideas of Epicurus and his followers and the legacy of Epicureanism on later European thought.
Author: Owen Davies
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199588023
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 153
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Book Description
A wide-ranging overview of how magic has been defined, understood and practiced over the millennia introduces it in today's world as a real force that helps people overcome misfortune, poverty and illness. By the author of Grimoires: A History of Magic Books. Original.
Author: Julian Baggini
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192804243
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 137
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Book Description
Do you think of atheists as immoral pessimists who live their lives without meaning, purpose, or values? Think again! Atheism: A Very Short Introduction sets out to dispel the myths that surround atheism and show how a life without religious belief can be positive, meaningful, and moral.
Author: Jacob K. Olupona
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199790582
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
This book connects traditional religions to the thriving religious activity in Africa today.
Author: Kenneth Minogue
Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
ISBN: 0192853880
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 158
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Book Description
In this introduction, Kenneth Minogue discusses the development of politics from the ancient world to the twentieth century. He considers the evolution of different systems, ideological aspects and the future of political science.
Author: Daniel Freeman
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199567158
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
Are we born with our fears or do we learn them? Why do our fears persist? What purpose does anxiety serve? In this Very Short Introduction we discover what anxiety is, what causes it, and how it can be treated. Looking at six major anxiety disorders, the authors introduce us to this most ubiquitous and essential of emotions.
Author: Gardner Dozois
Publisher: Baen Publishing Enterprises
ISBN: 1625793448
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 382
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Book Description
Thirteen tales dealing with the struggle of scientists toward truth in spite of opposition from religious and political forces arrayed against them. Authors include: George R.R. Martin Arthur C. Clarke Robert Silverberg Ursula K. Le Guin Keith Roberts Edgar Pangborn Chris Lawson Brendan DuBois James Alan Gardner Paul Park James Tiptree, Jr. Mike Resnick Greg Egan At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Author: Owen Davies
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 019879455X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 295
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Book Description
How widespread belief in fortune-telling, prophecies, spirits, magic, and protective talismans gripped the battlefields and home fronts of Europe during the First World War.
