A History Of Science Magic And Belief

Author : Steven P. Marrone
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 331 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2014-12-11
Category : History
ISBN : 9781137029782

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A History of Science, Magic and Belief by Steven P. Marrone Pdf

A History of Science, Magic and Belief is an exploration of the origins of modern society through the culture of the middle ages and early modern period. By examining the intertwined paths of three different systems for interpreting the world, it seeks to create a narrative which culminates in the birth of modernity. It looks at the tensions and boundaries between science and magic throughout the middle ages and how they were affected by elite efforts to rationalise society, often through religion. The witch-crazes of the sixteenth and seventeenth century are seen as a pivotal point, and the emergence from these into social peace is deemed possible due to the Scientific Revolution and the politics of the early modern state. This book is unique in drawing together the histories of science, magic and religion. It is thus an ideal book for those studying any or all of these topics, and with its broad time frame, it is also suitable for students of the history of Europe or Western civilisation in general.

Author : Chris Gosden
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2020-07-16
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780241979655

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The History of Magic by Chris Gosden Pdf

A Telegraph Book of the Year A remarkable, unprecedented account of the role of magic in cultures both ancient and modern -- from the first known horoscope to the power of tattoos. 'Fascinating, original, excellent' Simon Sebag Montefiore ______________________ Three great strands of practice and belief run through human history: science, religion and magic. But magic - the idea that we have a connection with the universe - has developed a bad reputation. It has been with us for millennia - from the curses and charms of ancient Greek, Roman and Jewish magic, to the shamanistic traditions of Eurasia, indigenous America and Africa, and even today in the West when snapping wishbones or buying lottery tickets. Drawing on his decades of research, Professor Chris Gosden provides a history of human thought and how magic may help us rethink our understanding of the world. ______________________ 'This is an extraordinary work of learning, written with an exhilarating lightness of touch . . . It is essential reading.' Francis Pryor, author of Britain BC, Britain AD and The Fens 'Without an unfascinating page' Scotsman 'Chris Gosden shows how magic explores the connections between human beings and the universe in ways different from religion or science, yet deserving of respect' Professor John Barton, author of A History of The Bible

Author : Mark A. Waddell
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 231 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2021-01-28
Category : History
ISBN : 9781108425285

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Magic, Science, and Religion in Early Modern Europe by Mark A. Waddell Pdf

An accessible new exploration of the vibrant world of early modern Europe through a focus on magic, science, and religion.

Author : Mark A Waddell
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2021-12
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1108348238

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Magic, Science, and Religion in Early Modern Europe by Mark A Waddell Pdf

Author : Allison P. Coudert
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2011-10-17
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780275996741

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Religion, Magic, and Science in Early Modern Europe and America by Allison P. Coudert Pdf

This fascinating study looks at how the seemingly incompatible forces of science, magic, and religion came together in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries to form the foundations of modern culture. As Religion, Magic, and Science in Early Modern Europe and America makes clear, the early modern period was one of stark contrasts: witch burnings and the brilliant mathematical physics of Isaac Newton; John Locke's plea for tolerance and the palpable lack of it; the richness of intellectual and artistic life, and the poverty of material existence for all but a tiny percentage of the population. Yet, for all the poverty, insecurity, and superstition, the period produced a stunning galaxy of writers, artists, philosophers, and scientists. This book looks at the conditions that fomented the emergence of such outstanding talent, innovation, and invention in the period 1450 to 1800. It examines the interaction between religion, magic, and science during that time, the impossibility of clearly differentiating between the three, and the impact of these forces on the geniuses who laid the foundation for modern science and culture.

Author : John Henry
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 328 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2017-05-22
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1138117072

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Religion, Magic, and the Origins of Science in Early Modern England by John Henry Pdf

In these articles John Henry argues on the one hand for the intimate relationship between religion and early modern attempts to develop new understandings of nature, and on the other hand for the role of occult concepts in early modern natural philosophy. Focussing on the scene in England, the articles provide detailed examinations of the religious motivations behind Roman Catholic efforts to develop a new mechanical philosophy, theories of the soul and immaterial spirits, and theories of active matter. There are also important studies of animism in the beginnings of experimentalism, the role of occult qualities in the mechanical philosophy, and a new account of the decline of magic. As well as general surveys, the collection includes in depth studies of William Gilbert, Sir Kenelm Digby, Henry More, Francis Glisson, Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, and Isaac Newton.

Author : Randall Styers
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 299 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780195169416

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Making Magic by Randall Styers Pdf

Randall Styers seeks to account for the vitality of scholarly discourse purporting to define and explain magic despite its failure to do just that. He argues that it can best be explained in light of the European and Euro-American drive to establish and secure their own identity as normative.

Author : Jeffrey H. Williams
Publisher : Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Page : 194 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2020-03-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781681737782

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The Search for the Absolute by Jeffrey H. Williams Pdf

History and archaeology tell us that when our far ancestors began to settle in localized groups, they codified their lives and experiences, and formed a collective for mutual support. This proto-civilization would have arisen from each individual’s questions about the world, and their attempt to understand themselves and their place in the world. These groups, or tribes, evolved rules of conduct to facilitate communal living, and made a calendar for the group’s celebration of harvests, and other events upon which the group was utterly dependent. This process of social evolution is the origin of religion, and of a magical way of looking at Nature. Eventually, this developing worldview was also the origin of science, which is our investigation of Nature to understand something of what is happening around us, and to use this knowledge to ensure our survival in a violent, indifferent Universe. After all, science and religion seek to answer the same question: Why and how is the natural world the way it is? This book seeks to show how science evolved from religion and magic, in response to a need to understand Nature.

Author : Dan Burton,David Grandy
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 414 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 0253216567

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Magic, Mystery, and Science by Dan Burton,David Grandy Pdf

"[P.D. Ouspensky's] yearning for a transcendent, timeless reality—one that cancels out physical disintegration and death—figures into science at some fundamental level. Einstein found solace in his theory of relativity, which suggested to him that events are ever-present in the space-time continuum. When his friend Michele Besso passed on shortly before his own death, he wrote: 'For us believing physicists the distinction between past, present, and future is only an illusion, even if a stubborn one.'" —from Magic, Mystery, and Science The triumph of science would appear to have routed all other explanations of reality. No longer does astrology or alchemy or magic have the power to explain the world to us. Yet at one time each of these systems of belief, like religion, helped shed light on what was dark to our understanding. Nor have the occult arts disappeared. We humans have a need for mystery and a sense of the infinite. Magic, Mystery, and Science presents the occult as a "third stream" of belief, as important to the shaping of Western civilization as Greek rationalism or Judeo-Christianity. The occult seeks explanations in a world that is living and intelligent—quite unlike the one supposed by science. By taking these beliefs seriously, while keeping an eye on science, this book aims to capture some of the power of the occult. Readers will discover that the occult has a long history that reaches back to Babylonia and ancient Egypt. It proceeds alongside, and frequently mingles with, religion and science. From the Egyptian Book of the Dead to New Age beliefs, from Plato to Adolf Hitler, occult ways of knowing have been used—and hideously abused—to explain a world that still tempts us with the knowledge of its dark secrets.

Author : Chris Gosden
Publisher : Picador
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2021-10-12
Category : History
ISBN : 1250800153

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Magic: A History by Chris Gosden Pdf

An Oxford professor of archaeology explores the unique history of magic—the oldest and most neglected strand of human behavior and its resurgence today Three great strands of belief run through human history: Religion is the relationship with one god or many gods, masters of our lives and destinies. Science distances us from the world, turning us into observers and collectors of knowledge. And magic is direct human participation in the universe: we have influence on the world around us, and the world has influence on us. Over the last few centuries, magic has developed a bad reputation—thanks to the unsavory tactics of shady practitioners, and to a successful propaganda campaign on the part of religion and science, which denigrated magic as backward, irrational, and “primitive.” In Magic, however, the Oxford professor of archaeology Chris Gosden restores magic to its essential place in the history of the world—revealing it to be an enduring element of human behavior that plays an important role for individuals and cultures. From the curses and charms of ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish magic, to the shamanistic traditions of Eurasia, indigenous America, and Africa; from the alchemy of the Renaissance to the condemnation of magic in the colonial period and the mysteries of modern quantum physics—Gosden’s startling, fun, and colorful history supplies a missing chapter of the story of our civilization. Drawing on decades of research around the world—touching on the first known horoscope, a statue ordered into exile, and the mystical power of tattoos—Gosden shows what magic can offer us today, and how we might use it to rethink our relationship with the world. Magic is an original, singular, and sweeping work of scholarship, and its revelations will leave a spell on the reader.

Author : Stanley J. Tambiah
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 1990-03-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0521376319

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Magic, Science and Religion and the Scope of Rationality by Stanley J. Tambiah Pdf

This accessible and illuminating book explores the classical opposition between magic, science and religion.

Author : Adam Gollner
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2014-09-30
Category : Health & Fitness
ISBN : 9781439109434

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The Book of Immortality by Adam Gollner Pdf

An exploration of one of the most universal human obsessions charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions and enters the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality.

Author : Ira Livingston
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 187 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2018-01-09
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004358072

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Magic Science Religion by Ira Livingston Pdf

Magic Science Religion explores surprising intersections among the three meaning-making and world-making practices named in the title. Through colorful examples, the book reveals circuitous ways that social, cultural and natural systems connect, enabling real kinds of magic to operate.

Author : Lynn Thorndike
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 1923
Category : Alchemy
ISBN : LCCN:23002984

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A History of Magic and Experimental Science: The first thirteen centuries of our era by Lynn Thorndike Pdf

A history of science and magic spanning the period from early Christianity, through early modern Europe, to the end of the 17th century.

Author : Keith Thomas
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 931 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2003-01-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9780141932408

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Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas Pdf

Witchcraft, astrology, divination and every kind of popular magic flourished in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, from the belief that a blessed amulet could prevent the assaults of the Devil to the use of the same charms to recover stolen goods. At the same time the Protestant Reformation attempted to take the magic out of religion, and scientists were developing new explanations of the universe. Keith Thomas's classic analysis of beliefs held on every level of English society begins with the collapse of the medieval Church and ends with the changing intellectual atmosphere around 1700, when science and rationalism began to challenge the older systems of belief.