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Philosophising Magic: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Module description

This module will explore how philosophers and theologians in the Hellenic and Abrahamic philosophical traditions, from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages, theorised on magic and divination. Reading primary texts in translation from their original Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic sources, it will examine a range of approaches to the metaphysics of magic and the epistemology of divination, including emic perspectives from philosopher practitioners of the craft, and etic perspectives of philosophers who were either censorious thereof, or sceptical of its epistemological foundation. Amongst the texts or authors to be examined will be: The Corpus Hermeticum; the Late Platonic philosophers; Cicero; Augustine; Albertus Magnus; Aquinas; Sefer Yetzirah; Moses Maimonedes; the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity; the Arabic Picatrix; Avicenna; Ibn Arabi; and Ibn Khaldun. Themes cosmological and psychological that will be examined include: the World Soul; theories of intellect and imagination; celestial-soul noesis; veridical dreams; thaumaturgy; theurgy; the epistemology of divination; and theosis or angelomorphosis.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• Give you a solid understanding of the philosophy of magic as formulated by thinkers, between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, who were either advocates and practitioners of the craft, or critics and sceptics thereof.
• Give you a broad awareness of the ways in which philosophising on magic in the late antique and medieval periods has been addressed in recent scholarship.
• Introduce you to the key texts philosophising on magic, developing your ability to analyse their key concepts and discursive methodologies, and to situate them in the broader context of intellectual history.
• Help you to develop a nuanced understanding of the technological and soteriological aims to which magic might be put to use.
• Further develop your abilities to express their ideas orally and in writing.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. demonstrate solid knowledge and understanding of how philosophers and theologians either justified or condemned magic in the Late Antique to Medieval Periods;
• 2. identify and analyse the key concepts constitutive of any systematic theory of magic;
• 3. evaluate the internal coherence and consistency of any theory of magic;
• 4. use primary and secondary sources to assess how magic was the object of profound rational engagement in the history of philosophy;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. demonstrate strong skills in reading, researching, and presenting complex material relating to these issues;
• 6. demonstrate an independent approach to designing, researching, and completing a research project;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. demonstrate critical and analytical skills;
• 8. demonstrate organisational and time-management skills and the ability to conduct independent study;
• 9. demonstrate confidence in engaging positively with, and understanding, foreign cultures.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the precise module content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Causation
• Cosmology
• Ontology of the Soul
• Perception and imagination
• Thaumaturgy
• Theurgy
• Noesis
• Epistemology of Astrology
• Prophetology
• Sacred Kingship
• Insider and outsider sources
• Celestial and terrestrial spirits

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Gregory Shaw, Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus (University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995). Yuval Harari, Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah (Detriot: Wayne State University Press, 2017)
• Michael-Sebastian Noble, Philosophising the Occult: Avicennan Psychology and the ‘The Hidden Secret’ of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2021)

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• David Frankfurter (ed.), Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic (Leiden: Brill, 2019)

Key words search

Magic, Philosophy, Psychology, Imagination, Neoplatonism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam