They Flew: A History of the Impossible
Currently unavailable
This book is sold out right now. Leave your email — we'll let you know if it comes back, and you'll get 10% off any book today.
In stock now — readers of this book also loved:
Carlos M. N. Eire masterfully navigates the fascinating intersection where miraculous events met the nascent age of reason. This compelling study delves into the early modern era, when tales of levitating saints, bilocating figures, and accused witches were not mere fantasy but integral to lived experience. Eire meticulously examines how a society on the cusp of scientific revolution grappled with phenomena deemed impossible by its emerging intellectual elite, challenging our preconceived notions about the boundaries between the natural and supernatural during a pivotal historical shift. It's a profound look at belief in an age of burgeoning skepticism.
Praise for this book
“This book is a game-changer. Eire engages in extensive primary textual work in multiple languages, goes down all the skeptical pathways (including demonological ones), and practices the historian's bracketing of the obvious truth question: 'Well, did these people fly or not?' Eire's deeper conclusion is secreted, or just shouted, in the title: They Flew. And that, well, that changes everything.”
“Eire examines in this insightful study such phenomena as levitation and bilocation (being in two places at once) that were frequently attributed to saints and mystics in the early modern era. . . . Readers interested in magic, religion, or medieval history will want to take a look.”
“Compelling. It was impossible not to find myself engrossed in Eire's meticulous--one might even say loving--handling of these narratives. . . . Watching his delight in recounting these stories of the impossible is an act of faith itself. One might even say that it's miraculous.”
📝 Description: They Flew: A History of the Impossible
💎 Expert review
📖 Why choose it
Why this book is worth reading
Readers fascinated by the delicate boundary between faith and empirical inquiry will find profound value in this text. It offers a unique window into a time when levitation and bilocation were not dismissed as fantasy but were integral to lived experience for many. This book is essential for those seeking to understand how the dawn of scientific thought grappled with phenomena deemed impossible by the intellectual elite of the period. It challenges preconceived notions about the natural versus the supernatural, providing a nuanced perspective on belief during an age of burgeoning skepticism. If you are interested in the sociological and philosophical underpinnings of historical worldviews, this study reveals how miraculous events shaped the very foundations of modern scientific thought.
⭐ Reader reviews
Reader rating
Eire provides a meticulous examination of early modern phenomena, weaving together history, theology, and nascent science. While intellectually rigorous and rewarding for those willing to engage with dense historical analysis, this book may not suit readers seeking light entertainment or straightforward magical manuals. It is decidedly academic in tone, focusing on the intersection of belief and reason rather than offering practical occult guidance. Skeptics who prefer clear-cut demarcations between history and myth might find the author's sympathetic exploration of 'impossible' wonders frustrating. However, for scholars and serious enthusiasts of esoteric history, it stands as a compelling study of how society navigated the cusp of scientific revolution.
❓ Frequently asked questions
📖 Who should read this
If you're fascinated by the history of belief, the complex interplay between science and spirituality, or the intellectual battles that shaped the modern world, this book is for you. Readers interested in the occult's historical roots will find its exploration of early modern phenomena particularly illuminating.
🎯 Key themes and symbolism
Impossible Phenomena
Eire explores documented accounts of seemingly impossible events like levitation, bilocation, and witchcraft, which were surprisingly commonplace in the early modern period. He treats these occurrences not as mere superstition, but as significant cultural and historical facts that demanded explanation and shaped societal understanding of reality, even as empirical thought began its ascent.
Dawn of Modernity
The book meticulously charts the intellectual and cultural shift from a world deeply rooted in religious belief and acceptance of the miraculous, to one increasingly influenced by scientific inquiry and skepticism. Eire reveals the complex processes by which new modes of thinking gradually began to challenge and redefine what was considered possible, paving the way for the modern scientific worldview.
Natural vs. Supernatural
This work scrutinizes how the lines between the natural and supernatural were dramatically redrawn during the transition to modernity. Eire demonstrates that while scientific understanding expanded, the presence of inexplicable phenomena forced thinkers to reconsider these boundaries, highlighting a period of intense intellectual friction and redefinition regarding the very fabric of existence.
📜 Historical context
📚 Glossary
- Levitation
- Bilocation
- Early Modern Era
📔 Questions to reflect on
- How might our own understanding of reality be shaped by phenomena we currently deem 'impossible' but are widely believed by others?
- Reflect on a time when a personal experience challenged your preconceived notions of what is scientifically or naturally possible. How did you reconcile this tension?
- Consider how the definitions of 'natural' and 'supernatural' have evolved throughout history. What might these terms mean to us in another century?
📖 Read on the blog
🏛 Books from this publisher Yale University Press
All books from this publisher →
You might also like
See more →
Have a question about this item?
Ask about the edition, condition, delivery or anything else — we reply by email or phone, usually within a day.
