Article
The Age of Magicians: Periodization in the History of European Magic
Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Publication Date
7-1-2008
DOI
10.1353/mrw.0.0090
Abstract
John Maynard Keynes once described Sir Isaac Newton, perhaps the greatest figure of the scientific revolution, as being ‘‘not the first of the age of reason’’ but ‘‘the last of the magicians.’’ Keynes was commenting, among other things, on Newton’s fascination with alchemy and the influence it may have had on his mathematical studies of gravitation and optics. This quip, no doubt originally deployed for its pithiness, raises broad questions of historical periodization.
Copyright Owner
University of Pennsylvania Press
Copyright Date
2008
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Michael D. Bailey. "The Age of Magicians: Periodization in the History of European Magic" Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft Vol. 3 (2008) p. 1 - 28 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/michael_bailey/2/
This article is from Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 3 (2008): 1-28, doi: 10.1353/mrw.0.0090. Posted with permission.