▁it ▁is ▁the ▁mag ical ▁act ▁itself ▁which , ▁ow ing ▁to ▁its ▁similarity ▁with ▁the ▁desired ▁result , ▁alone ▁determ ines ▁the ▁occurrence ▁of ▁that ▁result ." ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁the ▁anth rop olog ists ▁Murray ▁and ▁Ros al ie ▁W ax ▁put ▁forward ▁the ▁argument ▁that ▁sch ol ars ▁should ▁look ▁at ▁the ▁" mag ical ▁world view " ▁of ▁a ▁given ▁society ▁on ▁its ▁own ▁terms ▁rather ▁than ▁trying ▁to ▁rational ize ▁it ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁Western ▁ideas ▁about ▁scientific ▁knowledge . ▁Their ▁ideas ▁were ▁heavily ▁critic ised ▁by ▁other ▁anth rop olog ists , ▁who ▁argued ▁that ▁they ▁had ▁set ▁up ▁a ▁false ▁dich ot omy ▁between ▁non - mag ical ▁Western ▁world view ▁and ▁mag ical ▁non - West ern ▁world views . ▁The ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁" mag ical ▁world view " ▁never theless ▁gained ▁w ides p read ▁use ▁in ▁history , ▁folk lor istics , ▁philosophy , ▁cultural ▁theory , ▁and ▁psych ology . ▁The ▁notion ▁of ▁" mag ical ▁thinking " ▁has ▁also ▁been ▁util ised ▁by ▁various ▁psych olog ists . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s , ▁the ▁psych ologist ▁Jean ▁Pi aget ▁used ▁the ▁concept ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁their ▁argument ▁that ▁children ▁were ▁unable ▁to ▁clearly ▁differenti ate ▁between ▁the ▁mental ▁and ▁the ▁physical . ▁According ▁to ▁this ▁perspective , ▁children ▁begin ▁to ▁abandon ▁their ▁" mag ical ▁thinking " ▁between ▁the ▁ages ▁of ▁six ▁and ▁nine . ▁ ▁According ▁to