I’ve always liked this video Alistair Gentry used as part of his performance “Magickal Realism”, addressing questions of what the Elizabethan believed or did not believe…

I remember posting it on my Italian blog, and an habitual reader, a math teacher, commenting on the presence of geometrical figures and formulas… “I’m a little alarmed,” he wrote. “Must I consider myself akin to devils, ghost and magic?”

And my answer was that he certainly would have, had he been an Elizabethan mathematician… After all magic was a science back then – if one with  many disreputable and dangerous implications… We are speaking of the world in which Marlowe created his Doctor Faustus, after all.

I’m fascinated by the history of beliefs, ideas and perceptions… It’s likely you’re going to see more of this. For now, do watch Gentry’s video – and have a nice weekend.