There was a period, starting in the 18th century, when the newly enlightened European intellectuals assumed that increased opportunities for popular education would eventually do away with superstition. If such hopes were seriously entertained, they were obviously groundless.
The absurdity of specific superstitions is always apparent - even to the dim-witted - so long as the observer is not party to the superstition in question.
The only way to solve the problem, says Allen, is to "introduce your children to the methods of ssensible reasoning at an early age."
(The only problem with that is, if parents are supersitious and inculcate their children with such superstitions, they won't know what sensible reasoning is, let alone how to introduce it to their kids.)
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