It is the aim of this work to interpret magical thinking as a strong tendency towards categorization, towards simplification of an infinitely diverse reality and of its modifications, and its reduction to a limited number of static prototypes. In magical thinking similitu.de and contact (adjacency) are not only crucial principles of the human cognition; moreover they have their ontological dimensions: they direct the course of the world. Numerous examples of human conduct that are motivated by the laws of magic can be found not only in systems and their elements mentioned in canonical studies of magic (Frazer, Mauss) or in Eliade’s phenomenology of religion, but also in texts concerning European medieval and folk culture (Gurevich) or contemporary popular culture (astrology, prophecies etc.). Different phenomena of magical thinking like recurring time, imitations of extra-mundane models or of the past deeds can be described and explained by means of cognitivism. Various forms of popular metaphysics are also based on the tendency towards categorization. It is the tendency to eliminate everything particular and variable, and to inspell what is general and certain. Magical thinking does not acknowledge coincidence or probability, since everything is considered here necessary and can be instantly explained. and Cílem této práce je interpretovat magické myšlení jako výraznou snahu o kategorizaci, o zjednodušení nesmírné rozmanitosti reality a její modifikaci, redukci na omezený počet statických prototypů. Podobnost a dotyk (blízkost) jsou nejen klíčovými principy lidského poznávání; mají také ontologický rozměr, neboť ovlivňují podobu světa. Početné příklady lidského jednání motivovaného magickými zákonitostmi můžeme najít nejen v systémech a jejich součástech, popsaných v kanonických textech věnovaných náboženství (Frazer, Mauss) nebo v Eliadově fenomenologii náboženství, ale také v textech věnovaných evropské středověké a lidové kultuře (Gurevič) nebo současné lidové kultuře (astrologie, proroctví atd.). Různé aspekty magického myšlení, jako je cyklické vnímání času, imitace vzorů z „onoho světa" nebo minulých událostí, mohou být popsány a vysvětleny prostřednictvím kognitivismu. Různé formy lidové metafyziky také vycházejí ze snah o kategorizaci. Pod tímto termínem rozumím tendenci eliminovat vše konkrétní a proměnlivé a zdůraznit vše obecné a stálé. Magické myšlení neuznává náhodu a pravděpodobnost, neboť vše je pokládáno za nutné a objasnitelné.
This work deals with the worldview of autochtonous polish speaking ethnic group in Teschen Silesia inhabiting the area of both sides of current Czech-Polish border. It is importantfor our research that this ethnoculture maintains specific traditional traits, whether on the level of full meanings or of their symbolic sedimentation, which itself may serve as a source for reconstuction of these full meanings via structural-ermeneutical method. The analysis of narrative materials allows us to revealsome representative features of the researched worldview. By the notion of worldview we mean specific world description and world model (or pattern) as well. In our attempt to reconstruct a part of the worldview we aspire to show full potential of cognitive-linguistic analysis, taking note of both phenomenological and structural approaches. We understand the worldview notion as correlative to language and culture, and, on the other hand, as universal relative to man as bodily subject. We consider any worldview correlative to language and culture, alongside with being correlative to sensual human subject as well. This bilateral correlation is the source ofparadoxical nature of a worldview. Our research reveals that a worldview as a product of categorizing animal man makes reality simpler and stable on the one hand, but on the other hand can notget rid of it's own inconsistence and ambivalence. We attempt to prove that a worldview consists of a system for which general interpretation matrix can be found, but that this very system is equally confused, ambivalent, heterogeneous and includes multiple different layers. We also attempt to prove that cognitive structures specific for a member of the researched ethnoculture may occur outside this ethnoculture and that conlusions resulting from our analysis may have more general validity.