How did magic and science become separated?

Magic and what later evolved into science were historically practiced together through disciplines like astrology and alchemy. The definitive separation between them occurred during the Scientific Revolution of the late European Renaissance, which emphasized repeatable observation. Despite losing institutional prestige, magic persisted through traditional roles and modern occult adaptations, while concepts of magic also became intertwined with Western cultural notions of the Other.

What we know

• Early literate cultures and non-literate societies utilized charms, divination, spells, and folk magic to interpret and influence natural forces. [2]
• Disciplines such as alchemy and astrology demonstrate that magic and early science were often practiced together prior to the Scientific Revolution. [2]
• The Scientific Revolution of the late European Renaissance moved to separate science from magic based on repeatable observation, leading to a loss of prestige for magic. [2]
• Within Western culture, magic has frequently been linked to ideas of the Other, foreignness, and primitivism, serving as a marker of cultural difference. [3]

Still open

• The functional separation of the terms religion and magic remains disputed, with modern anthropology proposing complete continuity between them since the early 1930s.

Where to go next

• how it workedWhat role did alchemy play in early science?
• what caused itHow did the Scientific Revolution change Western thought?
• compared withHow is magic distinguished from religion?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the history of supernatural phenomena?
• what followedHow do modern occultists view science?
• an unexpected connectionHow do modern occultists adapt to a scientific world?Even after losing their historical prestige and facing separation from empirical science, magical practices continue to be adapted by modern occultists seeking to fit into a scientific society.

Sources

• [1]History of magic (Wikidata Q115604525) · CC0 1.0
• [2]History of magic · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Magic (supernatural) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Magic and religion · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]History of science and technology on the Indian subcontinent · CC BY-SA 4.0