Brian Copenhaver – författare

'. . . as when iron is drawn to a magnet, camphor is sucked into hot air, crystal lights up in the Sun, sulfur and a volatile liquid are kindled by flame, an empty eggshell filled with dew is raised towards the Sun . . .'This rich, fascinating anthology of the western magical tradition stretches from its roots in the wizardry of the Old Testament and the rituals of the ancient world, through writers such as Thomas Aquinas, John Milton, John Dee and Matthew Hopkins, and up to the tangled, arcane beginnings of the scientific revolution. Arranged historically, with commentary, this book includes incantations, charms, curses, Golems, demons and witches, as well as astrology, divination and alchemy, with some ancient and medieval works which were once viewed as too dangerous even to open. Selected and translated with an introduction and notes by Brian Copenhaver

'. . . as when iron is drawn to a magnet, camphor is sucked into hot air, crystal lights up in the Sun, sulfur and a volatile liquid are kindled by flame, an empty eggshell filled with dew is raised towards the Sun . . .'An odd feature of the Bible is that it is full of stories featuring forms of magic and possession - from Joseph battling with Pharaoh's wizards to the supernatural actions of Jesus and his disciples. As, over the following centuries, the Christian church attempted to stamp out 'deviant' practices, there was a persistent interest in magic that drew strength from this Biblical validation. A strange blend of mumbo-jumbo, fraud and deeply serious study, magic was central to the European Renaissance, fascinating many of its greatest figures. Brian Copenhaver's wonderful anthology will be welcomed by everyone from those with the most casual interest in the magical tradition to anyone drawn to the Renaissance and the tangled, arcane roots of the scientific tradition.

What was philosophy as Descartes found it around 1620? What was philosophy like before Descartes reformed it after 1637? What features of philosophy did he want to fix, and what tools did he use? To answer such questions, how should philosophers do their work today? One answer is surprising: that Descartes wrote picture books, for example. Another is challenging: that philosophers in the present would be better students of their discipline's past if they spent less time on past philosophy as they commonly understand it. The change would be transformative. But big changes have happened in philosophy's past for non-philosophical reasons that need attention from philosophers today, when oblivion has impeded their study of such changes. Attending to understudied causes of philosophical effects will show philosophers how to repair the damage that oblivion has done to their work. Mending stories about philosophy begins in this book with Descartes and his predecessors--mostly the predecessors--on meditation and method. Brian Copenhaver examines these familiar topics from a neglected point of view before introducing a different and unfamiliar Descartes: the author of the Discourse and Meditations as a writer of picture books. Three chapters about these topics--meditation, method, and picturing--are the practice justified by two theoretical chapters, one about how philosophy changes, the other about the oblivion that cancels memories of change.

What was philosophy as Descartes found it around 1620? What was philosophy like before Descartes reformed it after 1637? What features of philosophy did he want to fix, and what tools did he use? To answer such questions, how should philosophers do their work today? One answer is surprising: that Descartes wrote picture books, for example. Another is challenging: that philosophers in the present would be better students of their discipline's past if they spent less time on past philosophy as they commonly understand it. The change would be transformative. But big changes have happened in philosophy's past for non-philosophical reasons that need attention from philosophers today, when oblivion has impeded their study of such changes. Attending to understudied causes of philosophical effects will show philosophers how to repair the damage that oblivion has done to their work. Mending stories about philosophy begins in this book with Descartes and his predecessors--mostly the predecessors--on meditation and method. Brian Copenhaver examines these familiar topics from a neglected point of view before introducing a different and unfamiliar Descartes: the author of the Discourse and Meditations as a writer of picture books. Three chapters about these topics--meditation, method, and picturing--are the practice justified by two theoretical chapters, one about how philosophy changes, the other about the oblivion that cancels memories of change.