Experiencing the Impossible

The Science of Magic

Gustav Kuhn (Senior Lecturer, University of London)

$55

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

MIT Press
12 March 2019

Cognition & cognitive psychology; Neurosciences; Magic, spells & alchemy

Series: The MIT Press

This thought-provoking tour through the science of magic will make you question what you know about your brain and your reality.

A psychologist and magician shows how the scientific study of magic reveals intriguing-and often unsettling-insights into the mysteries of the human mind.

What do we see when we watch a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat or read a person's mind? We are captivated by an illusion; we applaud the fact that we have been fooled. Why do we enjoy experiencing what seems clearly impossible, or at least beyond our powers of explanation? In Experiencing the Impossible, Gustav Kuhn examines the psychological processes that underpin our experience of magic.

Kuhn, a psychologist and a magician, reveals the intriguing-and often unsettling-insights into the human mind that the scientific study of magic provides. Magic, Kuhn explains, creates a cognitive conflict between what we believe to be true (for example, a rabbit could not be in that hat) and what we experience (a rabbit has just come out of that hat!). Drawing on the latest psychological, neurological, and philosophical research, he suggests that misdirection is at the heart of all magic tricks, and he offers a scientific theory of misdirection. He explores, among other topics, our propensity for magical thinking, the malleability of our perceptual experiences, forgetting and misremembering, free will and mind control, and how magic is applied outside entertainment-the use of illusion in human-computer interaction, politics, warfare, and elsewhere.

We may be surprised to learn how little of the world we actually perceive, how little we can trust what we see and remember, and how little we are in charge of our thoughts and actions. Exploring magic, Kuhn illuminates the complex-and almost magical-mechanisms underlying our daily activities.

By: Gustav Kuhn (Senior Lecturer University of London)
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 25mm
ISBN: 9780262039468
ISBN 10: 026203946X
Series: The MIT Press
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 12 March 2019
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Gustav Kuhn is Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and a member of the Magic Circle.

Reviews for Experiencing the Impossible: The Science of Magic

Experiencing the Impossible is a cogently argued, persuasive and often enthralling account of the pleasures he experienced while researching what he calls one of the most captivating and enduring forms of entertainment. -Times Higher Education A fascinating foray into the subtle mechanics of creating wonder. -Nature