Magic, Science, and Religion in Early Modern Europe [Paperback]

An accessible new exploration of the vibrant world of early modern Europe through a focus on magic, science, and religion.Mark A. Waddell introduces the vibrant world of early modern Europe through a focus on magic, science, and religion. Written in clear, engaging language and thoughtfully illustrated, this is ideal reading for students as well as anyone with an interest in the history of science and ideas.Mark A. Waddell introduces the vibrant world of early modern Europe through a focus on magic, science, and religion. Written in clear, engaging language and thoughtfully illustrated, this is ideal reading for students as well as anyone with an interest in the history of science and ideas.From the recovery of ancient ritual magic at the height of the Renaissance to the ignominious demise of alchemy at the dawn of the Enlightenment, Mark A. Waddell explores the rich and complex ways that premodern people made sense of their world. He describes a time when witches flew through the dark of night to feast on the flesh of unbaptized infants, magicians conversed with angels or struck pacts with demons, and astrologers cast the horoscopes of royalty. Ground-breaking discoveries changed the way that people understood the universe while, in laboratories and coffee houses, philosophers discussed how to reconcile the scientific method with the veneration of God. This engaging, illustrated new study introduces readers to the vibrant history behind the emergence of the modern world.Introduction; 1. Hermeticism, the Cabala, and the Search for Ancient Wisdom; 2. Witchcraft and Demonology; 3. Magic, Medicine, and the Microcosm; 4. A New Cosmos: Copernicus, Galileo, and the Motion of the Earth; 5. Looking for God in the Cosmic Machine; 6. Manipulating Nature: Experiment and Alchemy in the Scientific Revolution; 7. A New World? The Dawn of the Enlightenment; Conclusion; Bibliographical Essays.An enchanting, yet eminently accessible, tour of the magical and mysterious in EuropeanlóÈ