Magic and science have a two-way relationship. One the one hand magicians use the principles of science to create the illusion of magic and on the other hand scientists study magicians to find out how they can deceive people.
Magicians make use of psychology, mathematics, optics and lots of other sciences to create the illusion that real magic is created. The clip below is an entertaining example by James Galea on how the principles of science can be use to create the illusion of magic.
Scientists are also interested in magic. Psychologists have studies magic for over a century. But also anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, dentists, software developers, teachers and so on have studies magic.
The second chapter of Perspectives on Magic discusses this complicated relationship between magic and science. The table below shows some of the types of sciences that are either used by magicians or study magicians. The table below provides an overview of how magicians and scientists relate to each other.
The Science of Magic
| Sciences | Methods for magic tricks | Scientists studying magic |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Sciences | Chemistry | |
| Physics | ||
| Life Sciences | Health sciences | |
| Neuroscience | ||
| Ophthalmology | ||
| Physiology | Physiology | |
| Social Sciences | Anthropology | |
| Business studies | ||
| Education | ||
| Gender Studies | ||
| Film Studies | ||
| History | ||
| Law | ||
| Library Science | ||
| Linguistics | Linguistics | |
| Performance Studies | Performance Studies | |
| Psychology | Psychology | |
| Sociology | ||
| Applied Sciences | Engineering | Computer programming |
| Dentistry | ||
| Education | ||
| Nursing | ||
| Occupational Therapy | ||
| Formal Sciences | Mathematics | |
| Information Theory |
If you are interested in reading more about magic and science, go to the bibliography or buy Perspectives on Magic and other books on the science of magic from the bookshop.