“Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.” –Voltaire

Some anthropologists suggest supernatural beliefs gain strength after natural disasters. In the aftermath of the recent Taal Volcano eruption, Filipinos have attributed it to superstition. Belief in “omens” and “portents,” which are often rooted in ancient cosmology, is widely held, even by the “worldly” and “well-educated.” After all, Philippine culture cherishes lucky numbers, eschews sounds that can be misconstrued as the word for death, and places great value in “gaba,” or curse. The country is also the top believer in the feng shui, the practice of arranging furniture and buildings to focus energy.
When Manny Pacquiao lost to Timothy Bradley, many believed it was due to him converting and no longer wearing a rosary.
The truth: Science can explain why the Taal Volcano erupted and Pacquiao won that first bout with Bradley but was subject to judgment errors.
One of the most famous catastrophes in European history was the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. The tremor sparked immediate fires, along with a tsunami. Between 10,000 and 100,000 people died. Yet, the question asked throughout Enlightenment-era Europe: “What did Lisbon do to deserve such punishment?”
Michael Munger of the Foundation for Economic Education explained: “What if there was no explanation? No one had done anything, good or bad, to cause it. The earthquake just happened.”
While humans don’t like answers like that, accepting the fact that there may be no explanation is a step towards scientific thinking. In a way, the Lisbon earthquake was a great benefit to the cause of enlightenment.
In his article, “2 Ways We’re Still Superstitious about Natural Disasters,” Munger quotes John Faithful Hamer, noting: “One of modernity’s greatest achievements is the realization that natural disasters like earthquakes have nothing to do with us, that we need not see the wrath of Zeus in every thunderclap, the displeasure of Poseidon in every menacing wave. The origins of that realization are to be found in the smoldering ashes of Lisbon.”
Munger also warned about seeing patterns where they do not exist—it’s what humans do; in fact, it’s what animals do.
He also cited Mark Twain, who he said offered a “pithy summary.”
“We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it—and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again—and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.”
Munger explained a wary cat has a theory of the world: “Stove burns you. Stay away from stove.”
However, only hot stoves burn, which makes it a flawed theory.
Now, consider two cats. Cat A (correctly) believes the theory about stoves causing burns being incomplete and is unsure what causes burns. Cat B, meanwhile, stays far away from all stoves, hot or cold, since they “magically” cause pain and injury in a way the cat could not understand.
It’s pretty clear Cat B is more likely to survive.

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Alex P. Vidal, who is based in New York City, used to be the editor for two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ