The Secret History of Knocking on Wood
Summary
The article explores the origins and distribution of the gesture of knocking on wood, noting cross-cultural variants and sparse written evidence. It argues that gesture is at the border of nature and nurture, discusses historical theories (including Tig-touch-wood and apotropaic magic), and connects embodied human experience to AI alignment, proposing that future AI systems may benefit from non-textual, premodern sensory data to better model human values.