Hmm. I guess I lack a certain kind of open-mindedness. Despite being generally curious about almost everything, I’ve never been even slightly tempted to try magic type things. I need a bit of a legible causal-material hook to get curious.
Conversation
Like the idea that chanting words might have psychological effects on the chanter, sure. Thay it might have suggestion effects on others, okay, I’ll entertain the thought.
But the idea that it can have literal direct effects, no. I see zero reason to even entertain the thought.
Replying to
A lot of this depends where you place your locus of reality.
Like, if reality is "particles in the physical world," then magic is silly.
If reality is social, then suggestion effects ARE literal direct effects.
If reality is your own experience, then it's all fair game.
1
Replying to
No suggestion effecrs are not direct. They rely on understanding. For eg if someone cursed you in a foreign language with symbolic performances that you find unfamiliar, it won’t work on you.
1
1
Show replies
Replying to
The fact that people believe chanted words have direct effects, when you think about it, is extremely strong evidence that chanted words affect speaker and audience. See also, weddings and funerals and and and.
Replying to
Don't just entertain the thought — entrain the thought. Chants work via brainwave entrainment through voice:
Replying to
Guess you didn't have a biology teacher in school claim that thought is material, with a nifty demonstration of a hand-held string pendulum that *does* start moving when you look at it? It kinda sets the curiosity ablaze for years to come.





