The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance

The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance

Author: Wayne Shumaker

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2023-04-28

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0520340914

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"The only short and acceptable summary and analysis of the five Renaissance occult sciences." - Times Literary Supplement


Book Synopsis The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance by : Wayne Shumaker

Download or read book The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance written by Wayne Shumaker and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-04-28 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The only short and acceptable summary and analysis of the five Renaissance occult sciences." - Times Literary Supplement


The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance

The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1976

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13:

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Download or read book The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance written by and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance

The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance

Author: Wayne Shumaker

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1972

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780520020214

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"The only short and acceptable summary and analysis of the five Renaissance occult sciences." - Times Literary Supplement "The . . . usefulness of this book for students of Renaissance literature and culture will not soon be ended." - Virginia Quarterly Review "The absence of contaminating traces either of condescension or of credulousness give this absorbing volume a special authority and place on the shelves of any reader or any library where the history of modern thoughts is relevant." - Scientific American "A remarkable summary and analysis of the five systems of esoteric science so influential in the Renaissance." - Milton Quarterly "A magnificent job of tying together a vast number of diverse sources into a unified whole . . . engrossing in its entirety." -The Sciences


Book Synopsis The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance by : Wayne Shumaker

Download or read book The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance written by Wayne Shumaker and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1972 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The only short and acceptable summary and analysis of the five Renaissance occult sciences." - Times Literary Supplement "The . . . usefulness of this book for students of Renaissance literature and culture will not soon be ended." - Virginia Quarterly Review "The absence of contaminating traces either of condescension or of credulousness give this absorbing volume a special authority and place on the shelves of any reader or any library where the history of modern thoughts is relevant." - Scientific American "A remarkable summary and analysis of the five systems of esoteric science so influential in the Renaissance." - Milton Quarterly "A magnificent job of tying together a vast number of diverse sources into a unified whole . . . engrossing in its entirety." -The Sciences


Occult Scientific Mentalities

Occult Scientific Mentalities

Author: Brian Vickers

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1986-06-27

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9780521338363

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The essays in this volume present a collective study of one of the major problems in the recent history of science: To what extent did the occult 'sciences' (alchemy, astrology, numerology, and natural magic) contribute to the scientific revolution of the late Renaissance? These studies of major scientists (Kepler, Bacon, Mersenne, and Newton) and of occultists (Dee, Fludd, and Cardano), complemented by analyses of contemporary official and unofficial studies at Cambridge and Oxford and discussions of the language of science, combine to suggest that hitherto the relationship has been too crudely stated as a movement 'from magic to science'. In fact, two separate mentalities can be traced, the occult and the scientific, each having different assumptions, goals, and methodologies. The contributors call into question many of the received ideas on this topic, showing that the issue has been wrongly defined and based on inadequate historical evidence. They outline new ways of approaching and understanding a situation in which two radically different and, to modern eyes, incompatible ways of describing reality persisted side-by-side until the demise of the occult in the late seventeenth century. Their work, accordingly, sets the whole issue in a new light.


Book Synopsis Occult Scientific Mentalities by : Brian Vickers

Download or read book Occult Scientific Mentalities written by Brian Vickers and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1986-06-27 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays in this volume present a collective study of one of the major problems in the recent history of science: To what extent did the occult 'sciences' (alchemy, astrology, numerology, and natural magic) contribute to the scientific revolution of the late Renaissance? These studies of major scientists (Kepler, Bacon, Mersenne, and Newton) and of occultists (Dee, Fludd, and Cardano), complemented by analyses of contemporary official and unofficial studies at Cambridge and Oxford and discussions of the language of science, combine to suggest that hitherto the relationship has been too crudely stated as a movement 'from magic to science'. In fact, two separate mentalities can be traced, the occult and the scientific, each having different assumptions, goals, and methodologies. The contributors call into question many of the received ideas on this topic, showing that the issue has been wrongly defined and based on inadequate historical evidence. They outline new ways of approaching and understanding a situation in which two radically different and, to modern eyes, incompatible ways of describing reality persisted side-by-side until the demise of the occult in the late seventeenth century. Their work, accordingly, sets the whole issue in a new light.


The Occult Tradition

The Occult Tradition

Author: David S. Katz

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 0712667865

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Is the universe alive? Are there hidden connections within it, revealed in history and in sacred texts? Can we understand or even learn to control these secrets? Have we neglected an entirely separate science that works according to a different set of principles? Certainly by the time of the Renaissance in Europe, there were many thinkers who answered in the affirmative to all of these questions. Despite the growth of modern science and a general disenchantment of the world, the 'occult' or 'esoteric' tradition has evolved in the West, manifesting itself in such diverse groups as the Freemasons, the Mormons, Christian Scientists, the Theosophists, New Ageists and American Fundamentalism. Paradoxically, the turn to science and the triumph of evolution in the nineteenth century produced an explosion of occultism, increasing its power as a kind of super-science. Gothic, fantastic, and supernatural fiction flourished, while Spiritualism emerged as a serious inquiry into the possibility of contacting the dead. After all, if you could communicate with the living at great distances, why should a similar teletechnology not be possible to the other world? Disciplines had not yet hardened, and the borders were as yet undefined between parapsychology and psychology, between mythology and anthropology. Mesmerism became hypnotism, and the subconscious came to be recognized as more than a medium's stomping ground. This book describes the growth and meandering path of the occult tradition over the past five hundred years, and shows how the esoteric world view fits together.


Book Synopsis The Occult Tradition by : David S. Katz

Download or read book The Occult Tradition written by David S. Katz and published by Random House. This book was released on 2007 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is the universe alive? Are there hidden connections within it, revealed in history and in sacred texts? Can we understand or even learn to control these secrets? Have we neglected an entirely separate science that works according to a different set of principles? Certainly by the time of the Renaissance in Europe, there were many thinkers who answered in the affirmative to all of these questions. Despite the growth of modern science and a general disenchantment of the world, the 'occult' or 'esoteric' tradition has evolved in the West, manifesting itself in such diverse groups as the Freemasons, the Mormons, Christian Scientists, the Theosophists, New Ageists and American Fundamentalism. Paradoxically, the turn to science and the triumph of evolution in the nineteenth century produced an explosion of occultism, increasing its power as a kind of super-science. Gothic, fantastic, and supernatural fiction flourished, while Spiritualism emerged as a serious inquiry into the possibility of contacting the dead. After all, if you could communicate with the living at great distances, why should a similar teletechnology not be possible to the other world? Disciplines had not yet hardened, and the borders were as yet undefined between parapsychology and psychology, between mythology and anthropology. Mesmerism became hypnotism, and the subconscious came to be recognized as more than a medium's stomping ground. This book describes the growth and meandering path of the occult tradition over the past five hundred years, and shows how the esoteric world view fits together.


Hermeticism and the Renaissance

Hermeticism and the Renaissance

Author: Ingrid Merkel

Publisher:

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13:

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Download or read book Hermeticism and the Renaissance written by Ingrid Merkel and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age

The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age

Author: Frances Yates

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-08-27

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1134524412

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It is hard to overestimate the importance of the contribution made by Dame Frances Yates to the serious study of esotericism and the occult sciences. To her work can be attributed the contemporary understanding of the occult origins of much of Western scientific thinking, indeed of Western civilization itself. The Occult Philosophy of the Elizabethan Age was her last book, and in it she condensed many aspects of her wide learning to present a clear, penetrating, and, above all, accessible survey of the occult movements of the Renaissance, highlighting the work of John Dee, Giordano Bruno, and other key esoteric figures. The book is invaluable in illuminating the relationship between occultism and Renaissance thought, which in turn had a profound impact on the rise of science in the seventeenth century. Stunningly written and highly engaging, Yates' masterpiece is a must-read for anyone interested in the occult tradition.


Book Synopsis The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age by : Frances Yates

Download or read book The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age written by Frances Yates and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-08-27 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is hard to overestimate the importance of the contribution made by Dame Frances Yates to the serious study of esotericism and the occult sciences. To her work can be attributed the contemporary understanding of the occult origins of much of Western scientific thinking, indeed of Western civilization itself. The Occult Philosophy of the Elizabethan Age was her last book, and in it she condensed many aspects of her wide learning to present a clear, penetrating, and, above all, accessible survey of the occult movements of the Renaissance, highlighting the work of John Dee, Giordano Bruno, and other key esoteric figures. The book is invaluable in illuminating the relationship between occultism and Renaissance thought, which in turn had a profound impact on the rise of science in the seventeenth century. Stunningly written and highly engaging, Yates' masterpiece is a must-read for anyone interested in the occult tradition.


Jean Fernel's On the Hidden Causes of Things

Jean Fernel's On the Hidden Causes of Things

Author: John Forrester

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2004-12-01

Total Pages: 791

ISBN-13: 9047406486

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An annotated translation of Jean Fernel’s On the Hidden Causes of Things (1542). A major innovatory work in Renaissance natural philosophy and medicine, and a crucially important source for understanding the notion of occult qualities, with a scholarly introduction.


Book Synopsis Jean Fernel's On the Hidden Causes of Things by : John Forrester

Download or read book Jean Fernel's On the Hidden Causes of Things written by John Forrester and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2004-12-01 with total page 791 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An annotated translation of Jean Fernel’s On the Hidden Causes of Things (1542). A major innovatory work in Renaissance natural philosophy and medicine, and a crucially important source for understanding the notion of occult qualities, with a scholarly introduction.


Music in Renaissance Magic

Music in Renaissance Magic

Author: Gary Tomlinson

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 9780226807928

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Magic enjoyed a vigorous revival in sixteenth-century Europe, attaining a prestige lost for over a millennium and becoming, for some, a kind of universal philosophy. Renaissance music also suggested a form of universal knowledge through renewed interest in two ancient themes: the Pythagorean and Platonic "harmony of the celestial spheres" and the legendary effects of the music of bards like Orpheus, Arion, and David. In this climate, Renaissance philosophers drew many new and provocative connections between music and the occult sciences. In Music in Renaissance Magic, Gary Tomlinson describes some of these connections and offers a fresh view of the development of early modern thought in Italy. Raising issues essential to postmodern historiography—issues of cultural distance and our relationship to the others who inhabit our constructions of the past —Tomlinson provides a rich store of ideas for students of early modern culture, for musicologists, and for historians of philosophy, science, and religion. "A scholarly step toward a goal that many composers have aimed for: to rescue the idea of New Age Music—that music can promote spiritual well-being—from the New Ageists who have reduced it to a level of sonic wallpaper."—Kyle Gann, Village Voice "An exemplary piece of musical and intellectual history, of interest to all students of the Renaissance as well as musicologists. . . . The author deserves congratulations for introducing this new approach to the study of Renaissance music."—Peter Burke, NOTES "Gary Tomlinson's Music in Renaissance Magic: Toward a Historiography of Others examines the 'otherness' of magical cosmology. . . . [A] passionate, eloquently melancholy, and important book."—Anne Lake Prescott, Studies in English Literature


Book Synopsis Music in Renaissance Magic by : Gary Tomlinson

Download or read book Music in Renaissance Magic written by Gary Tomlinson and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Magic enjoyed a vigorous revival in sixteenth-century Europe, attaining a prestige lost for over a millennium and becoming, for some, a kind of universal philosophy. Renaissance music also suggested a form of universal knowledge through renewed interest in two ancient themes: the Pythagorean and Platonic "harmony of the celestial spheres" and the legendary effects of the music of bards like Orpheus, Arion, and David. In this climate, Renaissance philosophers drew many new and provocative connections between music and the occult sciences. In Music in Renaissance Magic, Gary Tomlinson describes some of these connections and offers a fresh view of the development of early modern thought in Italy. Raising issues essential to postmodern historiography—issues of cultural distance and our relationship to the others who inhabit our constructions of the past —Tomlinson provides a rich store of ideas for students of early modern culture, for musicologists, and for historians of philosophy, science, and religion. "A scholarly step toward a goal that many composers have aimed for: to rescue the idea of New Age Music—that music can promote spiritual well-being—from the New Ageists who have reduced it to a level of sonic wallpaper."—Kyle Gann, Village Voice "An exemplary piece of musical and intellectual history, of interest to all students of the Renaissance as well as musicologists. . . . The author deserves congratulations for introducing this new approach to the study of Renaissance music."—Peter Burke, NOTES "Gary Tomlinson's Music in Renaissance Magic: Toward a Historiography of Others examines the 'otherness' of magical cosmology. . . . [A] passionate, eloquently melancholy, and important book."—Anne Lake Prescott, Studies in English Literature


Eros and Magic in the Renaissance

Eros and Magic in the Renaissance

Author: Ioan P. Culianu

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1987-11-15

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 0226123162

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It is a widespread prejudice of modern, scientific society that "magic" is merely a ludicrous amalgam of recipes and methods derived from primitive and erroneous notions about nature. Eros and Magic in the Renaissance challenges this view, providing an in-depth scholarly explanation of the workings of magic and showing that magic continues to exist in an altered form even today. Renaissance magic, according to Ioan Couliano, was a scientifically plausible attempt to manipulate individuals and groups based on a knowledge of motivations, particularly erotic motivations. Its key principle was that everyone (and in a sense everything) could be influenced by appeal to sexual desire. In addition, the magician relied on a profound knowledge of the art of memory to manipulate the imaginations of his subjects. In these respects, Couliano suggests, magic is the precursor of the modern psychological and sociological sciences, and the magician is the distant ancestor of the psychoanalyst and the advertising and publicity agent. In the course of his study, Couliano examines in detail the ideas of such writers as Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, and Pico della Mirandola and illuminates many aspects of Renaissance culture, including heresy, medicine, astrology, alchemy, courtly love, the influence of classical mythology, and even the role of fashion in clothing. Just as science gives the present age its ruling myth, so magic gave a ruling myth to the Renaissance. Because magic relied upon the use of images, and images were repressed and banned in the Reformation and subsequent history, magic was replaced by exact science and modern technology and eventually forgotten. Couliano's remarkable scholarship helps us to recover much of its original significance and will interest a wide audience in the humanities and social sciences.


Book Synopsis Eros and Magic in the Renaissance by : Ioan P. Culianu

Download or read book Eros and Magic in the Renaissance written by Ioan P. Culianu and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1987-11-15 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is a widespread prejudice of modern, scientific society that "magic" is merely a ludicrous amalgam of recipes and methods derived from primitive and erroneous notions about nature. Eros and Magic in the Renaissance challenges this view, providing an in-depth scholarly explanation of the workings of magic and showing that magic continues to exist in an altered form even today. Renaissance magic, according to Ioan Couliano, was a scientifically plausible attempt to manipulate individuals and groups based on a knowledge of motivations, particularly erotic motivations. Its key principle was that everyone (and in a sense everything) could be influenced by appeal to sexual desire. In addition, the magician relied on a profound knowledge of the art of memory to manipulate the imaginations of his subjects. In these respects, Couliano suggests, magic is the precursor of the modern psychological and sociological sciences, and the magician is the distant ancestor of the psychoanalyst and the advertising and publicity agent. In the course of his study, Couliano examines in detail the ideas of such writers as Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, and Pico della Mirandola and illuminates many aspects of Renaissance culture, including heresy, medicine, astrology, alchemy, courtly love, the influence of classical mythology, and even the role of fashion in clothing. Just as science gives the present age its ruling myth, so magic gave a ruling myth to the Renaissance. Because magic relied upon the use of images, and images were repressed and banned in the Reformation and subsequent history, magic was replaced by exact science and modern technology and eventually forgotten. Couliano's remarkable scholarship helps us to recover much of its original significance and will interest a wide audience in the humanities and social sciences.