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Eros and Magic in the Renaissance

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Ioan P. Culianu

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A prevalent misconception in modern scientific society is that "magic" is simply a ridiculous blend of primitive ideas about nature. This work challenges that notion by offering a scholarly exploration of magic's workings and its enduring presence in a transformed state today. According to Ioan Couliano, Renaissance magic represented a scientifically plausible effort to influence individuals and groups through an understanding of motivations, especially erotic ones. The central tenet was that sexual desire could sway everyone and everything. Additionally, the magician utilized a deep knowledge of memory techniques to shape the imaginations of their subjects. Couliano posits that magic serves as a precursor to contemporary psychological and sociological sciences, with the magician akin to a proto-psychoanalyst or advertising expert. The study delves into the thoughts of figures like Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, and Pico della Mirandola, shedding light on various aspects of Renaissance culture, including heresy, medicine, astrology, alchemy, courtly love, classical mythology, and fashion. While science has become the dominant myth of our time, magic was the guiding myth of the Renaissance. As images used in magic were suppressed during the Reformation and beyond, magic was overshadowed by precise science and technology, leading to its eventual obscurity. Couliano's exceptional scholarship revives much of its original signifi