Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
Date & Time: 3 December 2011
Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
Chair: Claudia Hammond, BBC Radio 4 presenter
How to know the world is a problem all humans contend with. Magic, religion and science are all ways of thinking about and acting on the world. Of the three, science would appear to be far the most successful, and yet scientific advances have not done away with magic or religion. How can we explain this interest in the mysterious and the ineffable, in the forces – natural and otherwise – that apparently control our lives and our destinies? Human beings have always used technology to extend the reach and capacities of the human body, and to enhance understanding, and yet we frequently use technology to seek enchantment, tell tall tales and create imaginary worlds.
In her talk entitled ‘Technologies of Enchantment: Magic, world and being’ Henrietta L. Moore discusses why humans have need for mystery and enchantment to make sense of life, how the world works and what makes us who we are.
See the ‘Holy Quarks’-programme @ the Wellcome Collection website: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/events/holy-quarks/saturday-programme.aspx
