ICR NO. 31 - THE USE OF OMENS, MAGIC, AND SORCERY FOR POWER AND HUNTING



Octagon Press, London

The same underlying current is seen from the most convoluted magical ritual of early man to the stream of magical thinking which survives in our own lives. As with all patterns of human thought there is a point at which what began as a survival advantage may outlive its usefulness. This monograph discusses why magical thinking may influence our everyday lives much more than we are willing to recognize and admit. If we could spot the mechanism at work, we could better judge how much of it is useful and productive and how much is not. This is one of several selected monographs presented by the Institute for Cultural Research (London).