Hunter, Michael
The Decline of Magic: Britain in the Enlightenment
- ISBN 13:
- 9780300260953
- author:
- Hunter, Michael
- format:
- Paperback / softback
- publisher:
- Yale University Press
- language:
- English
- Publication Year:
- 2021
- Pages:
- 256
- Dimensions:
- 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.2 centimetres (0
- Genre:
- History, Europe, Great Britain,
- Condition:
- New
- Availability:
- Item usually sent within 10 working days
Description
The Decline of Magic in Enlightenment Britain by Michael Hunter In early modern Britain, belief in supernatural phenomena was widespread among both educated and ordinary people. Prophecies, omens, ghosts, apparitions, and fairies were all taken for granted as part of an absolute spiritual world. However, this certainties began to erode in the eighteenth century. The shift away from magic and superstition is often attributed to science, particularly those associated with the Royal Society. Yet, Michael Hunter argues that it was freethinkers who played a more significant role in challenging traditional attitudes towards magic. By drawing on ancient authors, these sceptical humanists mounted a critique of orthodox religion and its associated forms of superstition. The growth of confidence in a stable world, where magic no longer had a place, ultimately led to the decline of magic in Enlightenment Britain.
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