magic
Let an agent describe magic as a cultural, religious and historical phenomenon, attributing beliefs to practitioners, noting the lack of scientific support, and routing people harmed by witchcraft accusations or exploitative practices to help.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Traditions Which practice.
Which
Tradition.
Which
Tradition.
- Which magical tradition is being discussed? definition
- What do practitioners believe, according to their sources? provenance
Evidence
Scientific view.
Evidence
Scientific evidence.
- What does scientific research say about claimed effects? provenance
- Is belief distinguished from fact? boundary
History Witch trials.
Trials
Persecution.
Trials
Witch trials.
- What do historians record about witch trials in this region? provenance
- Have governments issued pardons or apologies? provenance
Folklore
Customs.
Folklore
Folklore.
- What folk customs are associated with magic here, according to folklorists? provenance
- Are they still practised? provenance
Safety Harm.
Accusations
Abuse.
Accusations
Witchcraft accusations.
- Is someone, especially a child, being accused of witchcraft or harmed because of such beliefs? boundary
- Which child protection or emergency service should be contacted? action
Fraud
Paid spells.
Fraud
Fraud.
- Is someone being pressured to pay for spells or curse removal? boundary
- How can fraud be reported? action
Senses Disambiguation.
Stage magic
Illusion.
Stage magic
Stage magic.
- Is stage magic or conjuring meant? boundary
- Which entry fits? action
Fiction
Fantasy.
Fiction
Fictional magic.
- Is magic in fantasy fiction or games meant? boundary
- Which entry fits? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.KNW
- Other names and narrower kinds
- witchcraft, witchcraft in Wales, invocation of spirits, contemporary witchcraft, witchcraft (crime), Tame Head, Witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, Kitchen witchcraft, Stregheria, European witchcraft, Asian witchcraft, witchcraft confession
What it is Filled
Beliefs and practices intended to influence events or gain knowledge through supernatural or occult means, including folk magic, witchcraft traditions, ritual magic and contemporary pagan practice; claims of supernatural efficacy are not supported by scientific evidence. Stage magic is a separate performing art.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent describe magic as a cultural, religious and historical phenomenon, attributing beliefs to practitioners, noting the lack of scientific support, and routing people harmed by witchcraft accusations or exploitative practices to help.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Belief in supernatural influence
- Culturally diverse
- Not scientifically supported
- History of persecution and accusations
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Claim that magic can cure illness or replace medical care.
- Help sell spells or rituals with promises of results to vulnerable people.
- Accuse a real person of witchcraft or harmful magic.
- Mock the beliefs of communities that practise magic.
Only with a human decision
- Responding to someone who believes they are cursed or in danger from witchcraft.
May
- Describe magical beliefs and practices from anthropological and historical sources.
- Explain the beliefs of contemporary pagan and witchcraft traditions respectfully.
Moral aspects Filled
- Witchcraft accusations still lead to violence, especially against women, children and older people.
- Practitioners of minority traditions face stigma.
Who is affected
- People accused of witchcraft
- Practitioners
- Vulnerable people targeted by scams
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns magic; traditions are held by their practitioners.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q178934 - registry parent class
related
- occultism - category
- religion and folklore - context
- science - evidence
- stage magic - another sense
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.magic
- Wikidata: Q81741 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q81741)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Folk, ritual and ceremonial magic
- Contemporary witchcraft and paganism
- Stage magic is entertainment illusion
- Rituals, charms, texts and practices; stage magic uses illusion.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- describe magical traditions with attribution
- explain historical witch trials from sources
- recognise fraud and harmful practices
- separate stage magic and other senses
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Presenting supernatural claims as fact
- Mocking believers
- Missing abuse linked to witchcraft accusations
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Consumer protection and fraud law
- Human rights law on witchcraft accusations
- Freedom of religion law
Context of use required Filled
- Understanding beliefs, rituals and history across cultures.
- folk magic
- ritual and ceremonial magic
- contemporary witchcraft and pagan practice
- historical witchcraft beliefs and trials
- stage magic (separate)
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q81741: magic - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Magic (supernatural) - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should traditions be separate entries?
- How should beliefs be attributed consistently?
- How should stage magic be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q81741/spec.json