Article ID: CBB001510468

Knowing by Doing in Sixteenth-Century Natural Magic: Giambattista Della Porta and the Wonders of Nature (2014)

unapi

In the first book of Magia naturalis, chapter 3, Giambattista della Porta (1535--1615) stated that natural magic was the practical part of natural philosophy. Della Porta referred to knowledge of a particular set of phenomena from which one could operate naturally. In fact Magia naturalis covers a broad spectrum of issues that include topics related to the art of distillation, perfumes, fireworks, cookery, fishing and hunting. The purpose of these subjects was to survey natural and artificial things to reproduce them. In this sense, one could say that natural magic was a type of art (techne) in the Aristotelian sense, because it implied the type of knowledge that depended on the ability of the ones who manipulated phenomena. This is why the concept of natural magic is usually closely associated with “skill.” The aim of this paper is to discuss natural magic as a science that was close in meaning to techne, because it involved a concrete sense of craftsmanship and the connotation of the ability to devise stratagems. However, once natural magic was no longer limited to intellectual or manual activity, it could not be considered a mere technical art or technical science (i.e., a technology or technique).

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Authors & Contributors
Clementina Gily Reda
Verardi, Donato
Angelini, Annarita
Bianchi, Lorenzo
Borrelli, Arianna
Copenhaver, Brian P.
Journals
Studi dellaportiani
Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period
Bruniana & Campanelliana: Ricerche Filosofiche e Materiali Storico-testuali
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Circumscribere: International Journal for the History of Science
Nuncius: Annali di Storia della Scienza
Publishers
Cambridge University Press
Agorà
Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura
Firenze University Press
SISMEL edizioni del Galluzzo
Concepts
Natural magic
Science and art
Physiognomy
Occult sciences
Natural philosophy
Astrology
People
Della Porta, Giovan Battista
Bruno, Giordano
Campanella, Tommaso
Bacon, Francis, 1st Baron Verulam
Descartes, René
Garzoni, Gilbert Leonardo
Time Periods
Renaissance
16th century
17th century
18th century
Ancient
Medieval
Places
Italy
Naples (Italy)
Paris (France)
Rome (Italy)
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