▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁per n icious ▁del us ions ▁that ▁ever ▁v ex ed ▁man kind ". ▁T yl or ' s ▁views ▁proved ▁highly ▁influ ential , ▁and ▁helped ▁to ▁establish ▁magic ▁as ▁a ▁major ▁topic ▁of ▁anth rop ological ▁research . ▁ ▁T yl or ' s ▁ideas ▁were ▁adopted ▁and ▁simplified ▁by ▁James ▁Fra zer . ▁He ▁used ▁the ▁term ▁" mag ic " ▁to ▁mean ▁sympath etic ▁magic , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁practice ▁re lying ▁on ▁the ▁mag ician ' s ▁belief ▁" that ▁things ▁act ▁on ▁each ▁other ▁at ▁a ▁distance ▁through ▁a ▁secret ▁sympathy ", ▁something ▁which ▁he ▁described ▁as ▁" an ▁invisible ▁ ether ". ▁He ▁further ▁divided ▁this ▁magic ▁into ▁two ▁forms , ▁the ▁" home op ath ic ▁( imit ative , ▁m im etic )" ▁and ▁the ▁" cont ag ious ". ▁The ▁former ▁was ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁" like ▁produces ▁like ", ▁or ▁that ▁the ▁similarity ▁between ▁two ▁objects ▁could ▁result ▁in ▁one ▁influen cing ▁the ▁other . ▁The ▁latter ▁was ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁contact ▁between ▁two ▁objects ▁allowed ▁the ▁two ▁to ▁continue ▁to ▁influence ▁one ▁another ▁at ▁a ▁distance . ▁Like ▁Taylor , ▁Fra zer ▁viewed ▁magic ▁neg atively , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁" the ▁bast ard ▁sister ▁of ▁science ", ▁ar ising ▁from ▁" one ▁great ▁dis astr ous ▁f alla cy ". ▁ ▁Where ▁Fra zer ▁differ ed ▁from ▁T yl or ▁was ▁in ▁character izing ▁a ▁belief ▁in ▁magic ▁as ▁a ▁major ▁stage