Defining nature's limits: prosecuting magic in sixteenth-century Italy

• 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm on Friday 03 May 2013
• at The Royal Society, London

Watch the video

Engraving of Giambattista della Porta (c. 1535-1615)

Public history of science lecture by Dr Neil Tarrant.

Event details

Magic and science have traditionally been considered to have little in common.  Yet for many sixteenth-century intellectuals, including churchmen, practising magic was based upon highly sophisticated knowledge of the natural world.  For ecclesiastical censors the key issue was determining which magical practices were 'natural' and which required the assistance of demons.  In this lecture I argue that attempts to define legitimate magical practices required determining which phenomena were naturally possible, and this in turn helped to demarcate the acceptable limits of scientific expression.

Attending this event

This event is free to attend and open to all. No tickets are required. Doors open at 12:30pm and seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

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