Download the fantastic book titled The Decline of Magic written by Michael Hunter, available in its entirety in both PDF and EPUB formats for online reading. This page includes a concise summary, a preview of the book cover, and detailed information about "The Decline of Magic", which was released on 07 January 2020. We suggest perusing the summary before initiating your download. This book is a top selection for enthusiasts of the Enlightenment genre.
Summary of The Decline of Magic by Michael Hunter PDF
A new history that overturns the received wisdom that science displaced magic in Enlightenment Britain--named a Best Book of 2020 by the Financial Times In early modern Britain, belief in prophecies, omens, ghosts, apparitions and fairies was commonplace. Among both educated and ordinary people the absolute existence of a spiritual world was taken for granted. Yet in the eighteenth century such certainties were swept away. Credit for this great change is usually given to science - and in particular to the scientists of the Royal Society. But is this justified? Michael Hunter argues that those pioneering the change in attitude were not scientists but freethinkers. While some scientists defended the reality of supernatural phenomena, these sceptical humanists drew on ancient authors to mount a critique both of orthodox religion and, by extension, of magic and other forms of superstition. Even if the religious heterodoxy of such men tarnished their reputation and postponed the general acceptance of anti-magical views, slowly change did come about. When it did, this owed less to the testing of magic than to the growth of confidence in a stable world in which magic no longer had a place.
Detail About The Decline of Magic PDF
- Author : Michael Hunter
- Publisher : Yale University Press
- Genre : Enlightenment
- Total Pages : 265 pages
- ISBN : 0300243588
- Release Date : 07 January 2020
- PDF File Size : 7,8 Mb
- Language : English
- Rating : 4/5 from 21 reviews
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