Magos

Magic and science have a surprising amount in common. They are both about telling a story, and constructing a narrative of events. In one, the story appears magical, in the other it appears mathematical, but that difference is less important than might appear. They can both be dangerous if misapplied. In fact, one could argue that science is truer to the spirit of magic than most modern magicians are.

Back in ancient Greece, where the term originates, the magos (magicians) were religious figures, like shamans, who were believed to have access to the Otherworld. They performed rituals and ceremonies, administered healing potions, cast spells on enemies, or contacted the dead through seances. They were not usually connected to official temples – who viewed them with suspicion – but operated as freelancers, selling their services in the private market.

Such gnostics and mystics have throughout history operated on the fringes of mainstream religion – with “superstitions” instead of official sacraments, and “witchcraft” instead of sacred rites. But they still had considerable knowledge and power, and were far more than a source of entertainment. They didn’t do children’s parties. And the separation between magic and science was not so clear.

Pythagoras, who is sometimes described as the first pure mathematician, ran what amounted to a pseudo-religious cult with all kinds of strange teachings and an interest in esoteric symbols. The first mathematical models of the cosmos were developed by Greek mathematicians expressly for the purpose of reading the future through astrology. Chemistry grew out of alchemy, whose practitioners included scientists such as Isaac Newton. In the late nineteenth century, the discovery of the cathode ray tube, with its eery green glow, seemed to excite the spiritualist community as much as it did the scientific community (though that changed when it became the basis for TVs).

Even today, science is often as much about putting on a great show and amazing us with magical demonstrations as it is about making life-altering discoveries. Consider for example the moon landing of 1969 (though some claim it was a staged illusion) which was actually about impressing the Russians with military technology. Or more recently the excitement about the discovery of a tiny ghostlike particle known as the Higgs boson, which sounds like something a wizard would concoct.

Perhaps the main difference now is that magicians are seen as mere paid entertainers, while scientists are revealing the deep truths of the universe. Our aim in this blog is to break down this barrier to show the still-powerful connection between magic and science. Through a sequence of stories, historical nuggets, magic tricks, and other amusements, we reveal some of the tricks that scientists play on their audience. And we will show how even in the modern scientific age, many people are prone to mathemagical thinking.