Recent decades have seen a sharp rise in public participation in a whole range of activities and movements based on superstition and the occult.
My interest in this phenomenon was sparked recently on hearing of a postgraduate science student who paid a substantial fee for an in-depth session with a fortune-teller. I acknowledge that the Woman who Kissed the Cow had a point when she said - "Everyone to their own taste" - but, nevertheless, I believe that the widespread public hospitality now afforded to superstition is a very unhealthy development.
By the occult, I mean practices that rely on magical, mystical or supernatural arts or influence, which are beyond ordinary understanding. Although the mainline religions also promote the supernatural, they are not categorised as occult and I will return to this.
Practices that come under the umbrella of superstition and the occult include astrology and other forms of fortune-telling for example, Tarot cards witchcraft, paganism, alchemy, etc. Many of these practices are of ancient origin and many were reasonable attempts, in their time, to understand and control the world.
I am no expert on the occult, but I believe, on general principles, that these practices are mostly not worthwhile in the modern world. Nevertheless, it would be arrogant of me to dismiss out of hand someone who, motivated by a desire to do or be good, has investigated some occult practice and is convinced that it works for him or her.
I would probably disagree with such a person but could respect their decision. What bothers me is the widespread easy acceptance by people of various occult practices, an acceptance that is not underpinned by any critical appraisal or experience.
I was browsing in a general bookshop recently and I noted with dismay that the occult section was larger than the popular science section.
The occult section describes a world ruled by spirits and forces that we cannot control or fully understand but with whom we can have some influence if we carry out prescribed rituals.
The science section describes a world determined by natural understandable forces and shows how human intelligence has unveiled many of these natural mechanisms.
The relative sizes of the occult and the science sections indicate that the public prefers to "learn" how to influence the capricious spirits that rule the shadowy occult world rather than to learn about the open, bright, understandable and uplifting world of science.
Irrationality is widespread. In a recent British survey, one third of people said they consult astrology charts. In a US survey, one third of the respondents claimed to have spoken with a deceased relative and one fifth believed that a rabbit's foot brings good luck. Several surveys have confirmed a widespread belief in the USA that alien beings have come to earth and are abducting people on a large scale (four million to date) and carrying out reproductive experiments on them.
Astrology is the most common superstition entertained by the general public.
Astrology is the study of the motions and relative positions of the planets, sun and moon, interpreted in terms of human characteristics and activities. Astrologers believe the positions and motions of these celestial bodies at the time of your birth, and their motions during your life, determine your personality type and what happens to you.
To my knowledge no credible mechanism has been proposed to explain how the motions of the planets and the sun could have such powerful and distant effects.
The whole thing seems fantastic, but, such is our craving for certainty in an uncertain world that we are willing to grab at such a weak straw as the "certainty" offered by astrology.
Incidentally it is not clear, if our futures are predetermined, what benefits could accrue to us from knowing what is going to happen, given that we cannot alter or avoid this future.
What about Christianity which also asks us to believe in the supernatural? I believe that, in this case, faith in the supernatural can be a reasonable thing for many people.
Jesus Christ, founder of Christianity, left a coherent body of teaching, the core of which is widely regarded as being essential to civilised social life - love your neighbour, forgive your enemy, and assume responsibility for your actions.
No occult movement is founded on an equivalent widely respected body of teaching. I believe if the teachings of Jesus are apprehended with all the human faculties, and not just rationality alone, it is possible for many people to develop adequate grounds for believing in the God of whom Jesus spoke.
In other words, if the broad teachings of Jesus make sense to you and help you to live a fulfilled happy life, then you can feel justified in taking Jesus's word about God just as you would take the word of any trusted friend.
But, whatever about rationality/irrationality, Christianity did set the scene that allowed science to make progress. It removed God from time and space and placed Him outside the cosmos.
Prior to this the world of the prevailing religions teemed with spirits. Rocks, streams, woods, mountains, rivers, oceans, etc. all had their own spirits who acted capriciously.
While this view prevailed rational analysis of the world was impossible. Reducing all gods to One and placing Him beyond the cosmos left the world open to rational analysis.
Wouldn't it be great pity to muddy things up again by reintroducing all sorts of spirits and superstitions into the picture.
William Reville is a senior lecturer in biochemistry and director of microscopy at UCC.