Plutarch’s Essay on Superstition As A Socio-Religious Perspective on Street Begging

Abstract

Street begging has persisted in parts of Africa despite efforts made by different governments to eradicate it. Plutarch, in his work, Peri Deisidaimonia (On Superstition), presents a striking portrayal of superstition in the First Century that offers an explanation for why eliminating street begging seems a lost battle. The Philosopher who also served for decades as a priest of Apollo portrays the pernicious effects of some supposed religious practices as worse than the outcome of atheism. His position forcefully speaks to the ostensibly perennial issue of street begging, a socio-religious problem. Employing Max Weber’s social action theory of subjective thinking, this article uses qualitative analysis to examine some of the priest’s concerns, as well as his rebuff of religious attitudes that are borne out of what he describes as misrepresentation of the gods or superstition. By discussing Plutarch’s essay on superstition, the article seeks to illustrate a reason for a socio-religious situation in Africa, a continent that shares a similar religious background with the world of the writer. Specifically, with the example of the hard fight against street begging in some parts of Nigeria, the article concludes that reforms of the governments fail when effects of religious beliefs and cultural practices remain potent.