Superstition is Based on Personal Experience
Almost every major systematic error which has deluded men for thousands of years relied on practical experience. Horoscopes, incantations, oracles, magic, witchcraft, the cures of witch doctors and of medical practitioners before the advent of modern medicine, were all firmly established through the centuries in the eyes of the public by their supposed practical successes. The scientific method was devised precisely for the purpose of elucidating the nature of things under more carefully controlled conditions and by more rigorous criteria than are present in the situations created by practical problems.
Notes:
Astrology and other pseudosciences are believed because they appear to work in the real world, it is up to experiment to disprove them.
Folksonomies: superstition experience experiment
Taxonomies:
/hobbies and interests/astrology (0.537460)
/style and fashion/men 's fashion (0.222175)
/hobbies and interests/magic and illusion (0.175333)
Keywords:
Personal Experience Astrology (0.915502 (neutral:0.000000)), major systematic error (0.899868 (negative:-0.687042)), carefully controlled conditions (0.849915 (positive:0.263932)), rigorous criteria (0.642050 (positive:0.263932)), real world (0.641865 (neutral:0.000000)), witch doctors (0.626413 (negative:-0.267111)), medical practitioners (0.594759 (negative:-0.267111)), practical successes (0.594053 (negative:-0.425014)), scientific method (0.583074 (positive:0.263932)), modern medicine (0.581330 (negative:-0.267111)), practical experience (0.561991 (negative:-0.687042)), practical problems (0.552565 (positive:0.263932)), pseudosciences (0.380064 (neutral:0.000000)), Superstition (0.341156 (neutral:0.000000)), incantations (0.338634 (neutral:0.000000)), oracles (0.323396 (neutral:0.000000)), cures (0.305468 (negative:-0.267111)), advent (0.296970 (negative:-0.267111)), Horoscopes (0.295024 (positive:0.205609)), experiment (0.293734 (negative:-0.368486)), witchcraft (0.289041 (neutral:0.000000)), situations (0.287207 (positive:0.263932)), centuries (0.284792 (negative:-0.425014)), eyes (0.280708 (negative:-0.425014)), thousands (0.280455 (negative:-0.687042)), men (0.266719 (negative:-0.687042)), purpose (0.263104 (positive:0.263932))
Concepts:
Pseudoscience (0.989754): dbpedia | freebase
Science (0.775660): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Magic (0.633049): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Empiricism (0.621803): dbpedia | freebase
Scientific method (0.579974): dbpedia | freebase
Witchcraft (0.545195): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Physician (0.495886): dbpedia | freebase
Theory (0.467214): dbpedia | freebase
Personal Knowledge