Science of the Magical

From the Holy Grail to Love Potions to Superpowers

By: Matt Kaplan

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Can migrations of birds foretell our future? Do phases of the moon hold sway over our lives? Are there sacred springs that cure the ill? What is the best way to brew a love potion? How do we create mutant humans who regenerate like Wolverine?

In Science of the Magical, noted science journalist Matt Kaplan plumbs the rich, lively, and surprising history of the magical objects, places, and rituals that infuse ancient and contemporary myth. Like Ken Jennings and Mary Roach, Kaplan serves as a friendly armchair guide to the world of the supernatural. From the strengthening powers of Viking mead to the super soldiers in movies like Captain America, Kaplan ranges across cultures and time periods to point out that there is often much more to these enduring magical narratives than mere fantasy. Informative and entertaining, Science of the Magical explores our world through the compelling scope of natural and human history and cutting-edge science.

©2015 Matt Kaplan (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Absorbing and intellectually stimulating...." ( Library Journal)

The End of Magic?

This book is an interesting, if largely speculative, foray into what might be some possible scientific explanations for phenomena which have been considered magical or mystical throughout the ages. Kaplan, a science writer, explores topics ranging from the mystical qualities associated with ravens, prophecies based on bird migration patterns, the use (intentional or not) of hallucinogenic substances to inspire visions of the divine, divination through the examination of entrails, enchantments, spells, potions, the sense of a presence of a higher power and near-death experiences. Some of these speculations are more plausible than others.

Kaplan is a pure materialist and takes the approach, which may seem condescending to persons of faith, that any apparent validity of such phenomena must have a scientific explanation and he sometimes goes pretty far out on a speculative limb to make his point. He makes no allowance for the possibility that there may some things which science cannot, and will not ever, be able to explain--that there may be different ways of "knowing" than through the scientific method. I love science and do not think we should ever stop asking questions about how our world works, but I think there is more than a bit of hubris in the unquestioning assumption that science, and our understanding of it, is the only path to truth.