Renaissance Magic and Mysticism

SPRING BOOKS NATURE|Vol 441|11 May 2006 beyond biology, and suggesting an evolution- us think about biology. And the latest volume, novels. Yet, perhaps because of the intricate ary approach to culture. Richard Dawkins, brings together testimonials mixture of paracelsian magic, metallurgy, However, as Robert Aunger observes in and reflections about Dawkins himself or medicine and alchemy, the historical Paracel- Grafen and Ridley’s book: “No significant body inspired by his work. Most of the contribu- sus has received comparatively little attention. of empirical research has grown up around the tions, by eminent scientists, philosophers and By presenting the work of Paracelsus, includ- meme concept … In fact the memetic litera- writers, are laudatory; a few are critical. The ing all the contradictions and neologisms, as ture remains devoted almost exclusively to book is a pleasant read and throws useful an intensely personal enterprise embedded theoretical antagonisms, internecine battles, light on the multiform impact of Dawkins’ in Renaissance life, Ball circumvents many of and scholastic elucidations of prior writing work on biology, philosophy, science writing the historical difficulties and comes up with an on memes.” Dawkins has essentially left the and the public debate on science and religion. excellent biography that is relevant for his- development of memetics to others. Instead, Particularly illuminating are Grafen’s chapter torians and general readers alike. together with Daniel Dennett, he has used the discussing the relationship between Dawkins’ Ball takes events in the life of Paracelsus as idea of the meme as a powerful tool in his crit- work and more mathematically oriented starting points for discussing the Renaissance icism of religious ideas, which he describes population genetics, and Ullica Segerstråle’s world. For instance, when discussing Para- as “viruses of the mind”. The effectiveness of chapter on Dawkins and sociobiology. Still, celsus’ life as a vagabond, Ball speaks about the criticism does not much depend on the in preparing this review, I re-read The Selfish the difficulties of travelling in early modern scientific details of a would-be memetics. Gene, and this was the real treat. ■ Europe. His discussion of the alchemy of Dawkins’ depth and clarity of vision, Dan Sperber is at the Centre National de la Paracelsus transforms into a discussion of intellectual honesty and passion, and superb Recherche Scientifique and the Institut Jean Nicod, economic growth and the power of miners, writing have indeed changed the way many of 1 bis avenue Lowendal, 75014 Paris, France. and his religious and political views are compared to those of reformers and princes. Ball speaks of Paracelsus’ views on astrology in relation to the astronomy of Copernicus and his followers. And last but not least, Renaissance magic and mysticism Ball writes extensively about the traditional (galenic) medicine and chemistry that Para- The Devil’s Doctor: Paracelsus and the occult forces were accepted parts of early mod- celsus challenged. The book’s illustrations World of Renaissance Magic and Science ern science. In addition, Ball acknowledges provide a vivid picture of the time and further by Philip Ball the close connection between early modern enliven Ball’s account. Heinemann/Farrar, Straus, Giroux: 2006. natural philosophy, Renaissance humanism This approach is brave and enriching but 448 pp. £20/$26 and Reformation religion. In so doing, he fol- is also a little overwhelming. At times Para- lows a fairly recent trend in the history of celsus disappears into the background, and the Rina Knoeff science and medicine in which religion and reader is in danger of getting lost in detailed One has to admire Philip Ball’s courageous science are seen as mutually shaping fields descriptions of Renaissance culture. Moreover, undertaking in writing a biography of Para- of knowledge. in a book as ambitious as this it is almost celsus, arguably the most controversial In The Devil’s Doctor, Ball convinc- unavoidable that the terminology becomes at medical writer in the Renaissance. Not ingly shows that in order to under- times confusing. Much of Paracelsus’ work only are the works of Paracelsus’ own stand Paracelsus’ work and personality teeters on the brink of the spiritual, and his hand extremely difficult to read and we must accept that “in the philosophy own vocabulary often seems puzzling to understand but, more importantly, histor- of Paracelsus science and rationalism do modern readers. ical reconstructions of his life and not compete with mysticism and The difficulty in understanding Paracelsus’ thoughts complicate the picture superstition but blend with neologisms and expressions is clearly visible in to such an extent that it it, producing a world that this book. Ball, for instance, is often wobbly in is hard to write a ‘fair’ now seems at the calling details of Paracelsus’ work ‘mechanical’, biography. same time wonder- ‘spiritual’ or ‘materialistic’. Sometimes it is not Paracelsus is known ful and bizarre”. clear whether he adopts Paracelsus’ own words for being a failed physi- Paracelsus, or or gives them a modern, and therefore differ- cian; a psychiatric sub- Philippus Aureolus ent, meaning. For example, Ball maintains that ject in the casebooks Theophrastus Bom- Paracelsus’ concentration of nature’s potencies of the psychoanalyst bastus von Hohen- in the preparation of medicines was “not Carl Jung; a German heim, spoke to the mechanical” (presumably in a modern sense), national hero during the imagination. He is but on the next page he states that, according Nazi period; and the said to have ridden a to Paracelsus, the powers of the stars permeate founder of biochemis- magical white horse, to “mechanically” through the Universe (thereby try. Ball, however, sets have cured many incur- referring to Paracelsus’ own words). In both Paracelsus in the social, able diseases, and to have cases Ball refers to the working of invisible religious and cultural life carried an enormous sword powers, but apparently these are mechanical in of his time, a refreshing with magical powers, as well one case but not in the other, leaving it unclear move away from the ten- as the secret elixir of life. His what Paracelsus meant when he spoke of the dency to describe early ‘sci- name was linked with those of mechanical working of the invisible forces of entists’ as the forerunners of Faust and Martin Luther, and nature. The same goes for the important today’s scientific developments. among the many miracles he paracelsian distinction between the material Ball is aware of the historio- allegedly performed was the crea- and the spiritual, which at times makes Ball’s graphic difficulties surrounding tion of a living, human-like being. description of Paracelsus’ thoughts somewhat the life and work of Paracelsus. Today, Paracelsus appears bewildering. His account starts with a brief as a hero in the magical world To be fair to Ball, he does explain many of discussion of how magic and of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Paracelsus’ neologisms, but he also has the 152 © 2006 Nature Publishing Group NATURE|Vol 441|11 May 2006 SPRING BOOKS tendency to follow Jung in maintaining that This criticism notwithstanding, The Devil’s sent that afternoon to Rubin and Francis the language used by Paracelsus must be seen Doctor is a fascinating read, rich in content Collins have passed into legend. Rubin was symbolically as an expression of his uncon- and hugely entertaining. Moreover, it shows found, Venter confronted. To the fury of scious mind. It is too easy to argue that, for that magic was as much at the root of modern Celera’s business-development team, Venter this reason, the lexicons provided by scholars science as were the famous discoveries of backed down, and within 24 hours the fly of Paracelsus must be taken “with a pinch of our modern scientific heroes. It is this aware- sequence was freely available on GenBank. Paracelsian salt”. To my mind, one of the most ness that makes Ball’s account of Paracelsus Arguably, this was the moment when it urgent tasks of the historian is to find out what essential reading for historians and scientists became clear that nobody would make serious precisely Paracelsus meant. Without making alike. ■ money from genome sequencing; the pressure this effort, the description of his work can only Rina Knoeff is in the Faculty of Arts, University of to share would prove irresistible. Indeed, given remain superficial. Leiden, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands. the way the world was going that autumn, maybe it was an omen for the whole ‘dot com’ frenzy in whose slipstream Celera’s share price had accelerated. Celera was not the only over- valued company with a flawed business model The soldier’s tale for making money out of digital information. Not that Ashburner portrays himself as Won for All: How the Drosophila Genome Crete, Florida, Heidelberg, Washington (twice), a hero or Venter as a villain. The delightful was Sequenced Iceland (a bird-watching holiday), Heidelberg sequel is that within a week of this stressful by Michael Ashburner again, Florida again, Washington, Zurich, incident, Ashburner was at the Celera jam- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: 2006. Maine, Bloomington, Washington again… I boree playing happily in the toybox that was 107 pp. $19.95 may have missed a few. Being a scientist, Ash- the fruitfly genome, exhilarating in the new burner hates hotels (especially Marriotts), knowledge and even joshing with Venter. At Matt Ridley Microsoft, bad coffee and suits — the ones one point, while celebrating the end of the When the history of genome sequencing at the who negotiate on behalf of turn of the millennium is written, it will centre Celera. He likes or needs sushi, on two battles. The battle over the sequencing espresso, Lewis Carroll, beer and of the human genome was bigger and more bit- bouts of bird-watching.

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