The Malleus Maleficarum:Rationalism vs.Superstition?

The Malleus Maleficarum(1486)by Henry Institoris and Jacques Sprenger was written in order to help inquisitors identify,persecute,and prosecute witches.The book is well-known but not studied as much as one could think,and is sometimes confused with another treatise written in 1669,which includes works by demonologists,such as Jean Nider,Bernard Basin,and Bartolomeo de Spina.This can be explained by the fact that several successive editions were published,which changed the essence of the first essay,until the 17th century.My argument is that the first edition was paradoxical and not as strict as one could imagine.The book was a“bible”for the inquisition about the subjugation of witches,but in the same way,the book seemed to be far too rationalistic when confronted with satanism and superstition.Indeed,we believe that the thesis of the Malleus Maleficarum was also a new way of conceiving of knowledge,fighting against superstition by using the tools of early rationalism at the end of the 15th century.The witches’knowledge that is investigated in the book is confronted with theology,as well as with reason.There is significant evidence of the writers’rationalistic view about occultism and belief.

Superstitions Endanger Babies

泰国妇女择日分娩,为了让子女在“黄道吉日”来到这个世界,泰国1/5以上的孕妇实行了剖腹产。殊不知,此举将严重影响孩子大脑的发育。可怜天下父母心！本则消息出现“剖腹产”一词:caesarean/caesarean section([医]剖腹生产术)。另如:Their first baby was born by caesarean。/他们的头胎婴儿是剖腹产的。需注意的是,首字母大写的Cesarean却别具含义:凯撒的;皇帝的。 此外,文中一个way,用法新鲜,别具含义。

"Superstitions"

The new year is upon us. For some, it’s the new century and the new millennium. Although formalist would argue that 2001 is the true beginning of the new millennium. Now or a year from now, it’s all the same, except for those who believe there is some magic in our calendars turning 2000 (despite the fact that

Cultural knowledge of forests and allied tree system management around Mabira Forest Reserve,Uganda

The cultural universe is sometimes confusing,surprising and murky,so many cultural maps get drawn,discussed and envisioned.A study was undertaken around Mabira Forest Reserve in central Uganda to identify the trees and shrubs culturally managed on-farm,assess the cultural practices of forest and tree system management and determine the relationship between farmer gender and forest and tree system management.We engaged 203 farmers in focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews to collect data.Qualitative data were jointly evaluated with farmers;quantitative data were analyzed in SPSS 20.0.The results showed a high likelihood for involvement of local people in tree or forest management for economic gain,as timber and fast-growing species were highly ranked.Food and medicinal species were also regarded as important,suggesting high prospects of integrating them into the local farming system or protecting them in the forest.Numerous cultural practices(including rituals,trenching,bark slashing,ring barking,spot weeding and use of organic manure and pesticides)of forest and tree system management were acknowledged.However,their knowledge was mixed and unclear about distinct cultural and supportive arrangements for natural forest and tree restoration.While gender was not a significant cultural attribute for knowledge of the forest and allied tree system management,age substantially affected farmer propensity for various timber products.Also farmer’s family size influenced the collection of tree wildings and fodder.We encourage considering gender disparities and livelihood needs including income,during selection of cultural practices for forest and tree restoration.

Notes on the Fantastic in Chinese Literature and Film

This paper is a discussion of the fantastic genre in literature and film. I employ the term genre in this paper in two ways. First, I attempt to define the fantastic as a genre of writing through the emblematic form of the zhiguai. Second, I link this genre of writing to fantastic film, a category of genre film that has dominated the market in China recently. One of the earliest forms of fiction in Chinese literature, zhiguai were often contrasted to textually verifiable historic writing. First, I contrast discussions of zhiguai to modern conceptions of the fantastic and Enlightenment and revolutionary conceptions of narrative and history. The zhiguai share some features with fantastic storytelling in Europe, notably the Gothic tale that emerged in the late eighteenth century. Second, I draw links between state intervention in religion and superstition and the early modern classification of fantastic literature and film. State anti-superstition campaigns in the early twentieth century would frame fantastic films as superstitious (shenguai dianying). Third, I discuss how the fantastic has been framed in the contemporary China. The modern and contemporary fantastic in China is a combination of Chinese and Western categories of the real and the supernatural.