When you watch a magician, such as the great performance by Tommy Wonder below, the first question you will most likely ask is: How did he do that? The natural curiosity to find out the magician’s secret is, however, not the only question that can be asked of magic. Many scientists have studied magicians, their tricks and their audiences from different perspectives.
This book discusses many of the questions that scientists from different fields have asked of magic: How can our minds be so easily deceived? Why are most magicians men? How do magicians learn their tricks? or What is the practical use of magic?
The word magic itself can be quite deceiving as it can mean different things and the first question to be asked in this book is: what is magic? In this first chapter, some answers to the question on what constitutes magic are provided. Magic can be seen in at least five different perspectives:
- Magic as a supernatural occurrence: breaking the laws of nature
- Magic as a form of entertainment: top hats and rabbits
- Magic as astonishment: achieving the impossible
- Magic as the quality of an experience: a mystical feeling
This book is about one specific kind of magic: theatrical magic, which is the illusion that supernatural magic has been created. Magic as a form of theatre incorporates all kinds of magic: the illusion of supernatural magic, creating astonishment and creating magic experiences. Australian ‘unusualist’ Raymond Crowe is a contemporary magician that creates magic without tricks, such as his famous hand show performances.
If you are interested in reading more about magic, go to the bibliography or buy Perspectives on Magic and other books from the bookshop.