The Place of Magic in the Intellectual History of Europe

by Lynn Thorndike

Explore how magic shaped European thought from ancient times through the Roman Empire and into medieval scholarship.

This scholarly survey examines how beliefs in magical powers, astrology, and occult practices appear in the lives of prominent thinkers and how they influenced science, religion, and everyday life. It presents a careful look at how educated men of various eras treated magic—sometimes as a serious field of inquiry, other times as superstition to be opposed.

Drawing on historical sources and critical analysis, the work traces the trajectory of magic as a visible thread in intellectual history. It considers the attitudes of Pliny, philosophers, doctors, and theologians, and it situates magical belief within broader cultural and scientific contexts. The edition aims to illuminate how magic interacted with natural inquiry, superstition, and the evolving understanding of the world.

See how ancient writers described magical practices and their meanings Understand the role of astrology and divination in daily life and politics Explore how medieval scholars interpreted and debated magic Learn how later thinkers reconciled or contested occult ideas with science Ideal for readers of history, science, and medieval studies seeking a clear, well‑grounded view of magic’s place in European intellectual history.

Genres: History, Philosophy

133 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1905

About the author

Lynn Thorndike was an American historian of medieval science and alchemy.

He was the brother of the psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike and of scholar Ashley Horace Thorndike.

Reviews

[Fabrizio Valenza]

Il saggio è interessante quale testimonianza di un ingenuo positivismo, incapace di mettere nella luce più adeguata la posizione di concetti filosofici che Thorndike classifica con pretenziosa sicurezza come “magici”. Aiuta a comprendere maggiormente l’importanza di un Husserl.

[Rob]

As a whole this text does act as a good historical primer on the foundations of magical thought in Europe. The writing is a bit antiquated from the modern perspective, but understandable given the 1905 publication date. It is also important to note that the writing style can come off as "snobbish" at times since the author is effectively passing judgment on a large number of writers in antiquity. Regardless, this is a relevant text for those wishing to explore the development of intellectual thought in Europe and the work acts as a primer for the much longer "History of Magic and Experimental Science" by the same author.

This is a bit of a rare title (250 hand-numbered copies) so those wishing to read the text may wish to turn to other reprints.

[Christopher]

Interesting book, but more of an overview listing the various magical beliefs of the Roman era, with a brief introduction on the medieval period, rather than an analysis thereof. Seemed like it could have discussed many more people and aspects, and was rather biased (though with a bias I share) against the very notion of magic. Also, I found a couple occasions where I had a hard time agreeing with his conclusions. However, all in all, it was an enjoyable enough work, and I do plan on checking out his more detailed work on the subject, something through which I have browsed and been quite intrigued and which is used often enough as a source in Durant's work.

[Alexandru I. Păunescu]

Pentru mine a fost o carte ok, dar care nu mi-a adus foarte multe informații, plus că perspectiva este restrânsă doar la spațiul cultural a Europei, în speță cadrul oferit de imperiul roman. De aceea primește trei stele, dar este o carte bună pentru începutul studiului pentru că oferă perspective. Limbajul este accesibil și nu necesită cunoștințe de specialitate.
Recenzie completă: http://cartealumercur.blogspot.ro/201...

[Azaghedi]

Highly readable and engaging, which is shocking considering it's a grad student's doctoral dissertation from 1905. I only wish it extended, temporally speaking, beyond the Roman Empire, as it would have been even more entertaining than it already was to read the author continue to hurl his stinging criticisms at deluded medieval pseudoscientists.