Magic: A Very Short Introduction -- Owen Davies, Paperback

Magic is a much-used term with a complex and controversial history. As a concept and a practice, it has attracted the attention of theologians, anthropologists, psychologists, sociologists, artists, and historians over the centuries. This Very Short Introduction explains why. Magic has beendefined in terms of the false religions of others, as an evolutionary stage in human thought, a universal state of mind, and a liberating expression of the imagination. For hundreds of millions of people today, no matter their religious persuasion, magic is a real force that helps them to overcomemisfortune, poverty, and illness. Indeed, with magic as relevant today as it ever was, it raises questions about the meaning of human progress.Author: Owen DaviesPublisher: Oxford University Press, USAPublished: 02/20/2012Pages: 152Binding Type: PaperbackWeight: 0.25lbsSize: 6.70h x 4.30w x 0.40dISBN: 9780199588022About the AuthorOwen Davies is Professor of Social History at the University of Hertfordshire.