Medieval Studies Interdisciplinary Workshop

Travis Zadeh (Yale University), Where Magic Still Dwells: Islamic Philosophy and the Metaphysics of the Extraordinary.

The question of how to explain and define magic features throughout the development of Islamic philosophy. Avicenna famously united both magic and miracle in his study of the rational soul, where he explores the formation of extraordinary phenomena. This talk examines the treatment of magic as a natural part of the physical universe and its relation to later writings on wonders and rarities.