Thesis talk: What do I want to do?

[wolven7]

In short, I want to lay the ground work for showing that, philosophically, scientifically, and as an aspect of religious studies, magical practice is intrinsically worthy of study, when considered through some very specific lenses. To start, those lenses will include Jung and Frazer.

I have been whittled down to this, but no further. Here is my line: Magical Theory and Practice have intrinsic worth to academia, and they should not be dismissed out of hand.

Frazer defined Magic, and Jung explored and explained it. But Frazer saw it as a "primitive" mode, and Jung saw it as a means to a healthy psyche. Magic, viewed in a certain light, is a valuable thing, of itself, as much as anything can be, in that it leads to a full and beneficial existence. A different thing than Jung was able to say.

That is my thesis, and that is what I am writing.

Eikon Producere Klan.

Yes, I am aware that those are two different languages, and the tenses are wrong. Shut up, I'm tired.

Comments

[salrushdy.livejournal.com]

magical practice is intrinsically worthy

is there tough convention inside the academia what is the components of "intrinsically worthy"?

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Intrinsic worth is easiest defined as worth in itself, rather than as a means to an end. Magic has, thus far, been used as a means to other ends, usually a negative means to show other things in more positive lights.

I think that needs to stop.

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

'Jung saw it as a means to a healthy psyche.'

I don't think this is something to dismiss, but rather something to use as a point, in your arguments. It isn't overlooking magick's intrinsic worth as something to study, but rather one of the reasons for it to have that worth. Intrinsic worth can be something's usefulness as a means, as opposed to it simply being a contrast and a comparison.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I don't discount it, but when that's the Only thing you see it as good for? Not so good. Jung couldn't speak out as much as he'd've liked, because there hadn't been enough bricks laid, yet, but he laid a good ground work for others to follow. You can build a pretty solid house for magic in its own right, now.

But that's aside from the point. What I mean is that psychology is studied as a good in itself, as are philosophy, mathematics, religious studies, various sciences, etc. In this sense, all I mean by "good in itself" is something that is seen to benefit the over-all development and "progression" of the human species. All of these have found tracking and their studies have been updated, over time, but magic, one of the earliest ways of approaching the world, has gotten nearly shite all.

I want to change that, is all.

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

There's a difficulty in that, though, in that it is often a means to an end, in itself. A tool. A way to see. A filter for your reality. It's a way to understand the self, and to Get Stuff (Done). It's a hard thing to do for it's own sake, and therefore to study for it's own sake.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

True, but I think the same can be said of religion, psych, etc.