About the author
Jesper Sørensen is a Danish scholar in the cognitive science of religion, known for A Cognitive Theory of Magic (Altamira Press, 2006). The book applies a cognitive-science lens to magical ritual as a cross-cultural phenomenon, examining how people across traditions perform actions meant to transfer desirable qualities through physical contact, objects, or resemblance. Rather than treating magic as a discrete religious category or as false belief to be explained away, Sørensen investigates the underlying cognitive processes that make magical thinking intuitive and widespread, situating individual rituals within a broader theoretical framework drawn from cognitive science rather than folklore or devotional practice. The book is an academic study, aimed at researchers and students of religious studies and anthropology rather than practitioners, and it remains his principal title in this catalogue, reissued across more than one edition.
📖 Where to start with Jesper Sørensen
💬 What our editors say about Jesper Sørensen's books
“Sørensen delivers a rigorous cognitive analysis that demystifies magic by linking it to universal mental processes. The text is dense and academic, relying heavily on classical ethnographic evidence to build its case. While…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Cognitive Theory of Magic Sørensen, Jesper
“Sørensen’s dismantling of outdated models is refreshing, yet this dense academic approach will alienate casual hobbyists seeking simple spell instructions. It is not suited for readers who prefer mystical immediacy over…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Cognitive Theory of Magic Sørensen, Jesper
