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Magic, Reason and Science, 1450-1750 (HPSC30034)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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The subject will look at the categories of magic and reason in early modern Europe, especially in their role in the emergence of modern science. While magic and reason are often regarded as polar opposites, their relationship is often more complex. We will study how ‘magical thinking’ was understood in early modern Europe, how it was practiced in different fields of knowledge - from alchemy and demonology to medicine, technology and mathematics, and how these magical practices were transformed in the development of early modern science. We will also discuss what happened to the magical worldview in the eighteenth century, the period often held to be the Age of Reason. A particular emphasis of the subject will be on the complex relationship between scientific or philosophical change and social or cultural processes.

Intended learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

  • Demonstrate familiarity with the major intellectual, social and political developments of the period from the fifteenth through to the eighteenth centuries
  • Be able to examine intellectual positions and their historical development
  • Understand the complex interaction between different forms of experience that contributed to the emergence of modern science
  • Be able to put their own position in an historical perspective
  • Have developed effective written communication and presentation skills (written and oral), and the ability to collaborate constructively within the classroom
  • Be able to conduct independent research including the appropriate use of primary and secondary sources in mounting an historical argument
  • Demonstrate ethical integrity in written work and classroom activities.

Last updated: 19 September 2024