Magical thinking

The trouble is, if you start explaining people's ideas as "ways of coping with reality", where does it stop.

Is the teenage boy who is interested in science, finding ways of coping with the reality that he doesn't have a girlfriend?

Are all medical researchers merely finding ways to cope with the eventual reality of their deaths.

Did Ramanujan develop his mathematics to cope with the reality of his being poor - maybe to count his money better!

Labelling someone's ideas "ways of coping with reality" - while implicity holding your own ideas above such muddiness - is a pretty pathetic way to argue anything.

David

Yeah. It does sound unfair to throw it all around like confetti.
 
The trouble is, if you start explaining people's ideas as "ways of coping with reality", where does it stop.

Is the teenage boy who is interested in science, finding ways of coping with the reality that he doesn't have a girlfriend?

Are all medical researchers merely finding ways to cope with the eventual reality of their deaths.

Did Ramanujan develop his mathematics to cope with the reality of his being poor - maybe to count his money better!

Labelling someone's ideas "ways of coping with reality" - while implicity holding your own ideas above such muddiness - is a pretty pathetic way to argue anything.

David
Was this meant as a reply to Paul? Looks more like a reply to Typoz.
 
The trouble is, if you start explaining people's ideas as "ways of coping with reality", where does it stop.

Is the teenage boy who is interested in science, finding ways of coping with the reality that he doesn't have a girlfriend?

Are all medical researchers merely finding ways to cope with the eventual reality of their deaths.

Did Ramanujan develop his mathematics to cope with the reality of his being poor - maybe to count his money better!

Labelling someone's ideas "ways of coping with reality" - while implicity holding your own ideas above such muddiness - is a pretty pathetic way to argue anything.

David
In all honesty, you don't understand what "magical thinking" means
 
Okay, what the hell is the hidden meaning behind your completely bizzarre and ridiculous avatar? Is there one? I got nothing. I might start a new thread for this... Weirdo.
It's just some random 3d character I recolored using photoshop. It's just something that I love doing.
 
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It's just some random 3d character I recolored using photoshop. It's just something that I love doing.

Hmmm. I'm watching you, Boo boo. You can only stay hidden from me for so long.

Anytime you go out to walk your dog, to buy a newspaper, to go to the park-- you're going to have to ask yourself- 'Is today the day that Super Sexy finds me out?'

I've gotten others and can get to you too. It's only a matter of time.
 
Hmmm. I'm watching you, Boo boo. You can only stay hidden from me for so long.

Anytime you go out to walk your dog, to buy a newspaper, to go to the park-- you're going to have to ask yourself- 'Is today the day that Super Sexy finds me out?'

I've gotten others and can get to you too. It's only a matter of time.

What the hell?! I'm just a member! Aaaahhhh!
 
It appears most posters so far don't know what magical thinking is, so here is one link that explains it and another link explaining how we all start out in life thinking magically.
http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Magical_thinking
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/ages-stages-how-children-use-magical-thinking

Or posters just aren't interested in your narrow defining of how the term should be applied. The book discussed in the OP casts a wide net of topics that would fall under the concpet.
 
Or posters just aren't interested in your narrow defining of how the term should be applied. The book discussed in the OP casts a wide net of topics that would fall under the concpet.
. My narrow definition and application. Go tell the experts on magical thinking how narrow the definition and application is. Magical thinking was defined long before I had ever heard of it and I can't help if you don't like the definition or it's application; frankly, I don't know what upsets you about it. As I said previously, we all are prone to thinking magically at times, it's in our nature.
 
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lol. My narrow definition and application. Go tell the experts how narrow the definition and application is. Magical thinking was defined long before I had ever heard of it. Frankly I don't know what upsets you. As I said previously, we all are prone to thinking magically at times.

Who said I was upset? The link in the OP goes to a book that cites the following as magical thinking:

"Magical thinking helps us believe that we have free will and an underlying purpose as it protects us from the paralyzing awareness of our own mortality."

That's incredibly broad, so it's not surprising the discussion has also been using the term in a broad context.
 
Who said I was upset? The link in the OP goes to a book that cites the following as magical thinking:

"Magical thinking helps us believe that we have free will and an underlying purpose as it protects us from the paralyzing awareness of our own mortality."

That's incredibly broad, so it's not surprising the discussion has also been using the term in a broad context.
Instead of opining over just one example of magical thinking go peruse the web on the subject matter. It will broaden your understanding of it.
 
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