How big of an issue was Superstition in earlier democracies such as Ancient Rome or Post-Revolution France? How was this handled?

by Shardic
alriclofgar

A very interesting question! Rome and France were two very different worlds, and their attitudes toward religion, magic, and 'superstition' were very different.

In Rome, superstitio was a word that described religious (or magical) practices done incorrectly, or for the wrong goals. Saying a prayer the wrong way intentionally was superstitio, using magic to hurt someone or in secret was superstitio. Worshiping a weird new god in a weird way might be superstitio.

After the Enlightenment, though (ie, post-revolutionary France), the word took on a new meaning: foolish or unreasonable beliefs about the world that came from a mixture of ignorance and blind religiosity. Believing that magic could cure you instead of medicine was superstition.

But for the Romans, believing that magic could cure you was fine. But using magic to poison someone was superstitio (because it was magic used for a bad objective). The Romans didn't really have a concept like Enlightenment superstition. Even Greek philosophers who believed the world followed rational principles didn't rule out the possibility that some of those principles might be supernatural.

I realize this isn't quite the answer to your question, but it's important to realize how different Romans' attitudes toward magic and religion were than those that developed after the 18th century in Europe.