La superstición moderna: por qué seguimos creyendo en rituales | Sábados Culturales

In today's program, Fernando Villegas reflects on the origin and persistence of magical thinking in human history, taking as his starting point a video of Russian Orthodox priests blessing a bomb used in the war in Ukraine. From this example, he explains how magic arose as a mechanism for confronting uncertainty and the need to control a hostile world. He explores concepts developed by James George Frazer in *The Golden Bough*, differentiating magic from religion and showing how both retain certain rituals. Finally, he argues that magical thinking remains present in daily life, sports, politics, and even our personal habits, despite the development of scientific thought. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: What is magic and why is it still relevant? 07:50 – James George Frazer and *The Golden Bough*: The study of magic. 17:00 – Differences between magic and religion. 23:00 – Modern rituals: sports, superstitions, and politics. 32:15 – Personal rituals and the human need to control uncertainty. 36:00 – Magical thinking in politics and a conclusion about its persistence.