An Anatomy of Witchcraft

Much has been written on witchcraft by historians, theologians, philosophers, and anthropologists, but nothing by scientists. This book aims to reappraise witchcraft by applying to it the advances in cognitive sciences.

Autorentext

Oscar Di Simplicio is a former lecturer in early modern history at the University of Florence. His previous publications include several books and articles that explore the history of witchcraft, the witch-hunts, and the neuropsychological origins of witchcraft cognition. He lives in Siena.

Martina Di Simplicio is a clinical senior lecturer in psychiatry at Imperial College London with expertise spanning cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychiatry, and digital technologies. Her research seeks to understand the cognitive mechanisms that underly emotional distress, support resilience, and drive successful treatment of mental disorders.

Inhalt

Part 1: Deep History Introduction to Part One. 1. Towards Homo Sapiens 2. Reciprocal Altruism 3. Prehistoric Women 4. Primary Emotions: Fear and Anger 5. Social Emotions: Empathy-Shame-Envy 6. Drives: Eros 7. Drives: Seeking 8. Evolved and Abandoned: A Standstill Psychology? 9. Looking for Witchcraft 10. Defining Evil Witchcraft 11. Redefining Evil Witchcraft Part 2: Historical Times Introduction to Part Two. 12. Visions of the World 13. Witchcraft and Power 14. A Long Walk: Towards a Magic-Religion Dichotomy 15. Greece and Rome: The Complementarity Between Magic and Religion 16. Greece and Rome: The Ambiguous State Control of Witchcraft 17. Christian Transformations: The Nuclear Fallout 18. Early-Modern Witch-Hunting: A Cognitive Puzzle? 19. The Disenchantment of the World 20. The Other Monotheisms: Jewish and Islamic Part 3: In the Laboratory Introduction to Part Three. 21. Case Study 1: The Personalization of Damage 22. Case Study 2: Ambiguities of Malefice: The Evil Eye 23. Case Study 3: The Reality of Malefice 24. Case Study 4: The Stereotype: Witch=Woman 25. Case Study 5: An Envious and Factional Community 26. Case Study 6: Anatomy of Witchcraft 27. Case Study 7: Treasure Hunting or the Simulator Brain Part 4: Millennials Introduction to Part Four. 28. A Look from the Above. Conclusions