21A.520
Magic, Science, and Religion
Explores the origins of magic, science, and religion as forms of belief within and across cultures. Addresses the place of rationality and belief in competing sociocultural theories, with a focus on analyzing modern perspectives. Examines how cases of overlap between magic, science, and religion raise new questions about modernity and human nature.
Fall 2021
Topics
- Introduction
- What does it mean to believe something? (1)
- Enchantment and Disenchantment: Does reason progress? (1)
- Enchantment and Disenchantment: Does reason progress? (2)
- Is magic a form of technology? (1)
- Is technology a form of magic? (1)
- Mediation: How is faith made real? (1)
- Mediation: How is faith made real? (2)
- Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Who controls belief? (1)
- Can magic disenchant? (1)
- Can magic disenchant? (2)
- How do magicians learn to deceive? (1)
- How do new religious movements form? (1)
- Conspiracism and Denialism: Why do people reject science?
- Can Spirituality and Science be reconciled? (1)
- Final paper presentations
Readings
- SESS #: 1 · TOPICS: Introduction · READINGS: No readings assigned
- SESS #: 3 · TOPICS: What does it mean to believe something? (2) · READINGS: No readings assigned
- SESS #: 7 · TOPICS: Is magic a form of technology? (2) · READINGS: No readings assigned
- SESS #: 9 · TOPICS: Is technology a form of magic? (2) · READINGS: No readings assigned
- Srinivas, Tulasi. “Technologies of Wonder.” Chapter 4 in The Cow in the Elevator: An Anthropology of Wonder . Duke University Press Books, 2018. ISBN: 9780822370796.
- SESS #: 13 · TOPICS: Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Who controls belief? (2) · READINGS: No readings assigned
- SESS #: 17 · TOPICS: How do magicians learn to deceive? (2) · READINGS: No readings assigned
- SESS #: 18 · TOPICS: Can you believe your eyes!? · READINGS: No readings assigned
- SESS #: 20 · TOPICS: How do new religious movements form? (2) · READINGS: No readings assigned
- Cho, Francisca. “Buddhism and Science: Translating and Re-translating Culture.” Chapter 14 in Buddhism in the Modern World . Edited by David L. McMahan. Routledge, 2011. ISBN: 9780415780155.
- SESS #: 23 · TOPICS: Can Spirituality and Science be reconciled? (2) · READINGS: No readings assigned
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2021
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.