Malcolm Gaskill on Why Our Ancestors Weren't as Superstitious as We Think

A survivor of human trafficking shares her harrowing experience, emphasizing that the average age for victims is just 11 years old. She expresses gratitude for Senator John Houston's efforts to combat trafficking in Ohio, highlighting his bipartisan work to punish traffickers and advocate for justice for survivors.

In a separate discussion, historian Malcolm Gaskill challenges the common narrative that society has evolved from superstition to rationality since the Enlightenment. He argues that people in the past exhibited more rationality than often portrayed, suggesting that their beliefs in witchcraft and the supernatural were not merely foolish but reflected a complex understanding of their world. Gaskill contends that modern society may be less rational than it assumes, drawing parallels between historical witch hunts and contemporary cultural panics.

The conversation delves into the nature of witch trials in 17th-century England, revealing that they were often more nuanced than the caricatured depictions suggest. Gaskill explains that while witchcraft accusations were prevalent, the legal system involved a level of skepticism and critical thinking that challenges the notion of a blind rush to judgment. He notes that many trials were characterized by a lack of concrete evidence, with jurors often hesitant to convict based on flimsy testimonies. The discussion ultimately raises questions about how understanding the past can inform perspectives on present-day societal behaviors and beliefs.

Yascha Mounk and Malcolm Gaskill debate what the Enlightenment got wrong about the so-called age of credulity.

Malcolm Gaskill, Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia, is the author of seven books, including Witchfinders, Between Two Worlds, and The Ruin of All Witches.

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Malcolm Gaskell discuss how premodern people understood the boundary between the natural and supernatural worlds, why historians are right—and wrong—to complicate the Enlightenment's story of progress, and what the persistence of superstition tells us about human nature.

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Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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