Devil's Advocate: Are Superstitions Good For Us?

YES: Arnaz Mallick

At the mention of a star sign, it’s difficult to miss the onslaught of vitriol hurled at you. An army of STEM students or sceptics will immediately gallop in your way, declaring, “That’s not a real science!” and the like. Well, I declare that there’s a certain charm in the irrational, the outlandish, the superstitious. Of course, there is no shortage of wine mums or hippies online who preach manifestation, Mercury in retrograde, tarot and all — but “irrational beliefs” which stand the test of time, little quirks, and mannerisms that don’t quite make sense or conform to any rational standards are all enduring parts of a universal human culture. Practically every major human civilisation has believed in astrology; it’s comforting to think that we have studied the stars for so long that they have found their way into teen magazines filled with weekly horoscopes. 

In disdaining other people for believing in the unconventional, we assume a certain superiority over them. Such attitudes, however, are not always unfounded. Admittedly, there’s nothing admirable in letting the positions of the planets or a recent tarot reading drastically affect your mood for the week. But, superstitions, like all things, must be practised in moderation. 

Many point to numerous events throughout history, or occurrences where superstitions have been used as the basis for inflicting suffering and pain onto others, as an excuse for discrimination, or as a way to justify black cat hatred. However, the argument of superstition and its negative consequences is not exclusive to superstition itself. Practically everything — religion, technology, science, cultural differences — has been weaponised during times of conflict. It would be ludicrous to say that such things are intrinsically bad, or that we should give up on them, and it’s no different with superstitions. If they help bring order and pleasure to our lives, they have value.

There are more fact-based arguments that back why believing in superstitions and having faith in one’s own luck is a good thing — they improve our confidence in tough situations, give us the illusion of control, and ease uncertainty. But the real beauty of superstition is more simple. Plato believed in astrology — he thought that the soul travelled through the heavens before reaching Earth, and so the bearings of all the stars and planets affected a person’s character traits and personality. It’s an irrational idea, I suppose, with no way to prove whether or not it’s true — but it’s a nice one.

In a world full of marketisation, globalist overconsumption, and bureaucracy all verging on a near-erasure of the deeply ingrained traditions of human culture, superstitions allow us to open ourselves up to a more positive attitude on life, choosing to find luck where it may seem unlikely, easing our troubles without hurting anyone in the process.

Ultimately, belief is a choice — and to believe in superstitions is to take an outlook on life that helps us understand our world in spite of uncertainty and see the whimsy in everything. So, the next time a STEM student, finance bro, or sceptic rolls their eyes at the mention of astrology, take no notice — it’s probably their Capricorn moon.

NO: Noah Begasse de Dhaem

There seems to be a common misconception that superstitions are all quaint, inconsequential habits we can’t rationalise yet still partake in. Knocking on wood, crossing our fingers, and not stepping on the infamous PH sign all come to mind. If this were the extent of superstition, I wouldn’t mind it as much and would simply limit myself to scoffing at your childlike credulity. However, this is not the case. 

The Cambridge Dictionary defines superstition as belief based on magic and the supernatural rather than science and reason (note the fact the word quirky was not used once). This definition of superstition is very broad. To get an idea of the consequences superstitions can have, I think it would be helpful to look back into history to one of its more famous occurrences: witch-hunting. Interestingly, the “medievals” were not terribly into the idea, as many of them had quite rationally concluded that witches didn’t, in fact, exist. It only became popular to burn witches at the stake in the Early Modern period. These innocent men and women were accused of ridiculous crimes, such as controlling the weather, having sex with demons, and using magic to kill babies, and this was driven by a deep superstitious belief in the power of magic. Of course, witchcraft isn’t real, and we know that for sure now, but this all goes to show that superstition can have and does have very negative consequences when it is allowed to go unchecked by reason.

By trivialising our superstitions, we lose sight of the power to harm that they hold. A pertinent example of this is the sad tale of the black cat in modern society. Perhaps the most famous of European superstitions, the association of the black cat with bad luck originates with the medieval belief that linked the dark furred felines with witches and the plague. While we no longer hunt and kill black cats (or the women who own them), they still face the effects of this superstition. Black cats and kittens are the least likely to be adopted at shelters, and the most likely to get euthanised. If you truly believe black cats are evil, then I have nothing to say to you, but to those as heartbroken as I am by this statistic, it should serve as a lesson that we are not the masters of our superstitions.

There is also the issue of faith healing and the countless loss of life due to the rejection of modern medicine in favour of religious superstition. I do not believe religion and superstition are one and the same, rather, as Cicero once put it, superstition can be destroyed without destroying religion. The fact remains that religious superstition remains a potent threat to public health in many countries, and the victims are very often children.

You may tell me your superstitions are not at all harmful, that you only half-believe in them anyway, and that at the end of the day, you are as rational as the rest of us. But when modern superstition ranges from the downright dangerous to the patently ridiculous, why do we bother? And before you rush to attribute my scepticism to the relative positions of Mars and Uranus at the time of my birth, just know that I am Sagittarius, whatever that means.

Illustration by Sandra Palazuelos Garcia