Superstition is a human-made concept for an irrational belief in causal connections between unrelated actions or events, where the supposed cause-effect relationship lacks empirical support and often invokes supernatural agency. Parameters: (1) irrationality — the causal link cannot be demonstrated through evidence or reason; (2) action-outcome pairing — a specific behavior or omission is believed to influence an unrelated result; (3) cultural transmission — the belief is learned and perpetuated through community practice rather than individual discovery. Persists through oral tradition, ritual repetition, and cultural storytelling across generations. [formal: superstitio | substrate: mind | horizon: generations | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
superstition
Superstition is a human-made concept for an irrational belief in causal connections between unrelated actions or events, where the supposed cause-effect relationship lacks empirical support and often invokes supernatural agency. Parameters…
Definition
Why it is in scope
Human-made concept for an irrational belief in causal connections between unrelated actions or events, often involving supernatural agency. Persists through cultural transmission, ritual practice, and oral tradition — distinguishing it from rational causal reasoning.
Names and aliases
- superstitionen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrn7264v01yld1nlaqdfs31yDEPENDS_ON →
Superstition fundamentally requires the concept of causation — it is the false attribution of causal power to coincidental events. Remove causation and superstition has nothing to misapply. Present-tense dependency passes.
- cmreni1le00twg8vusqrsdf83INSTANCE_OF →
Superstition is a specific kind of belief — one founded on false causal attribution without evidence. Direction tested: specific→general. A competent speaker would call superstition 'a kind of belief' (specifically, an unjustified belief). Law 9 INSTANCE_OF satisfied.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 21, 2026, 9:50 AM UTC
- Content hash
- 6538c1830bcb52e105a2d09b24828d79f295bdc79e08d2ae830ff2bfc34df79b