Mali Blacksmith pottery and sand divination

[tabianamoto]

Well since the other person closed their account I feel its safe to write - THIS IS AN EXCELLENT VID - thank you Humboldt Mike for filming traditional practices in Mali (which is done throughout West Africa).

I would refer judgmental people from other cultures to Physicist Laird Scranton - Nuff said!

[HumboldtMike]

@tabianamoto Thanks! The judgemental lose another round...

[marcellwashington]

WOW! RED ALERT JUDGEMENTAL CULTURELESS OVER OPIONATED TROLLS! hm put this vid up becouse he is cultured and he was nice enuff to put this up! so poeple can see some "culture" ! thank you mike nice vid!

[PrismaticRAYS]

If divination IS "action" then it is action by humans based on the BELIEF that it works. Unfortunately, divination systems rely on random chance for success; that is, the success rate does not exceed what would be expected by mere random possibility. True, there are occasional exceptions where we may be quite surprised by remarkable coincidence in a divination excercise, but these miraculous exceptions rely on mathematical probabilities that virtually guarantee their occurrence.

[HumboldtMike]

I don't think these people approach it as a crap shoot. I think they use it as a method of communicating with the spirit world. In that respect it is no different than prayer or meditation or whatever. So I see no need to single them out for having illogical beliefs.

[Thekingisamongstus]

I'm sure what your saying fits your worldview and logic, but it doesn't apply to the divination I've seen in the way you're saying. like a hammer applied to a screw the tool of Western logic, or scientific facts do not always apply to non-Western realities, or the world at large. To know a thing by experience is one thing, but to postulate and presume with little knowledge is another...

[PrismaticRAYS]

Very interesting video. But isn't divination just one of the many superstitions of traditional African religion? Does divination offer anything useful to a believer? I think if divination really worked we'd all own some device for determining our future. But educated ppl know better than to trust their futures to a handful of nuts or lines in the sand.

[Thekingisamongstus]

Your logic is based around the incorrect assumption that divination is a belief. I'd say it is more like an action, for instance a rock falling to the ground, which people believe things about, for instance the theory of gravity. And there are plenty of things that work, such as giving up cigarettes for improve one's health, yet many people, can't, don't, don't believe. In fact disbelief in divination, based on no empirical evidence and heavy bias, is itself a superstitious a belief system.

[HumboldtMike]

I just look at these practices as interesting activities that may offer some insight into the way different people view their world. I try not to judge them for it-just observe when I'm given the privilege. A lot of "educated" people believe all kinds of crazy stuff. Do you ask the same questions of people who pray to Jesus to help their favorite sports team? If by "educated" you mean people who don't believe in supernatural intervention, then there aren't many "educated" ppl in the world.