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Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present by Chris Gosden
lakmus's review against another edition
3.0
(Maybe even 4).
A recounting of mostly archeological evidence around different magical practices around the world – with a somewhat bigger focus on European and Eurasian steppe stuff, and a long bit on Ancient China, with missing South-East Asia and the Pacific (the author is upfront about that, too much material not enough time/expertise). Lots of interesting stuff – with a closing chapter on modern magic and how it very persistently fails to die, so maybe we shouldn't expect it to. The idea of the intertwining branches of magic, religion, and science is neat, and I was impressed by the hot take that maybe if magic isn't dying any time soon, maybe we can leverage it to get people to feel more strongly about environmental problems (interconnectedness with nature and all that). I thought if nothing else, it's a good example of making your supposedly impractical humanities discipline be relevant.
I think it's an important perspective to see magical thinking as something so inherently human that we are unlikely to get rid of it. The collection of tweets showcasing various little shrines and mystery switches (that can never be flipped or the whole building loses light, as the sticky notes under them warn) in science labs. Surely these people know that this is all made up, and the switch just needs to be fixed – but they make it up anyway. We know that rationality is bounded, and we aren't ever getting rid of all the heuristics and biases – so maybe magical thinking is something that is here to stay and we need to account for it properly, and why the hell not, make it do some useful work. If you can't beat them, join them.
A point that I think could have been spelt out more clearly – or the author really didn't think of it – is that we needed science to show the reality of all that cool interconnectedness stuff that magic and religion hand-waved about, but science can now tell us what is and isn't the case. Prioritising magic doesn't seem to be necessary, it does have a tendency to grow on its own – but what maybe is necessary is supplying science and scientists with a strong grounding in ethics, and encouraging considerations of 'what if shit goes wrong with this brilliant new tech?'. Which scientists do anyway, collectively, but perhaps it's something that should be actively encouraged across the board. In this sense, participatory 'magical' practices of the kind Gosden suggests might make people more appreciative of their connection to the rest of the world would indeed be good for people to feel this more viscerally. A cure for excessive individualism. But then again – those predisposed towards such views of the world would wander into some spiritual practice in their life on their own, and those who think they'll be a great man who single-handedly changes the world with their great new invention is unlikely to be receptive to these ideas even if systematically exposed to them.
A recounting of mostly archeological evidence around different magical practices around the world – with a somewhat bigger focus on European and Eurasian steppe stuff, and a long bit on Ancient China, with missing South-East Asia and the Pacific (the author is upfront about that, too much material not enough time/expertise). Lots of interesting stuff – with a closing chapter on modern magic and how it very persistently fails to die, so maybe we shouldn't expect it to. The idea of the intertwining branches of magic, religion, and science is neat, and I was impressed by the hot take that maybe if magic isn't dying any time soon, maybe we can leverage it to get people to feel more strongly about environmental problems (interconnectedness with nature and all that). I thought if nothing else, it's a good example of making your supposedly impractical humanities discipline be relevant.
I think it's an important perspective to see magical thinking as something so inherently human that we are unlikely to get rid of it. The collection of tweets showcasing various little shrines and mystery switches (that can never be flipped or the whole building loses light, as the sticky notes under them warn) in science labs. Surely these people know that this is all made up, and the switch just needs to be fixed – but they make it up anyway. We know that rationality is bounded, and we aren't ever getting rid of all the heuristics and biases – so maybe magical thinking is something that is here to stay and we need to account for it properly, and why the hell not, make it do some useful work. If you can't beat them, join them.
A point that I think could have been spelt out more clearly – or the author really didn't think of it – is that we needed science to show the reality of all that cool interconnectedness stuff that magic and religion hand-waved about, but science can now tell us what is and isn't the case. Prioritising magic doesn't seem to be necessary, it does have a tendency to grow on its own – but what maybe is necessary is supplying science and scientists with a strong grounding in ethics, and encouraging considerations of 'what if shit goes wrong with this brilliant new tech?'. Which scientists do anyway, collectively, but perhaps it's something that should be actively encouraged across the board. In this sense, participatory 'magical' practices of the kind Gosden suggests might make people more appreciative of their connection to the rest of the world would indeed be good for people to feel this more viscerally. A cure for excessive individualism. But then again – those predisposed towards such views of the world would wander into some spiritual practice in their life on their own, and those who think they'll be a great man who single-handedly changes the world with their great new invention is unlikely to be receptive to these ideas even if systematically exposed to them.
bear_ridge_tarot's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
From the studies of Oxford professor Gosden, we are treated to the smooth narrations of Clarke Peters as we are taken back in time, through the ages, in an exploration of magic and its co-evolution with science and religion. An intellectual triple-helix theory is presented in this audiobook in order to put into perspective how magic has gained such a poor reputation. At the same time, science and religion vie for supremacy. Professor Gosden includes the first known horoscope, an exiled statue, the mystical powers of tattoos, and more as he urges us to reconsider how we think about magic and its relationship with our society.
As a practicing witch who also lives a life of science and medicine on a daily basis, this book was a must read. While it became a tad repetitive after the first few chapters, the information overall was well worth the read. It may have been a more in-depth read if it had a smaller scope of how far back in history it covers. While I loved the parts about prehistoric magic, the information was presented in so little detail that it was a bit disappointing.
As a practicing witch who also lives a life of science and medicine on a daily basis, this book was a must read. While it became a tad repetitive after the first few chapters, the information overall was well worth the read. It may have been a more in-depth read if it had a smaller scope of how far back in history it covers. While I loved the parts about prehistoric magic, the information was presented in so little detail that it was a bit disappointing.
wickedmitch's review
4.0
As far as histories of Magic go, this one stands out for how far back in looks. While most others focus on antiquity or the Middle Ages, this one extends all the way to the Ice Age. That alone is worthwhile even if some of the later chapters feel a little repetitive.
sambrumagin's review against another edition
Soft DNF for now—it’s summer and I want to read junk.