| Abstract [eng] |
This work examines the Renaissance concept of "magical imagination" and its eventual marginalization. The traditional image of the Renaissance as a rebirth of antiquity and the flourishing of rationality is incomplete, often ignoring the thriving esoteric movements (e.g., Hermeticism) in which "magical imagination" was considered an active power, possessing ontological status, and capable of shaping both the subject and the external world. The problem addressed is: what led to the marginalization of this concept? The hypothesis is that its marginalization is largely a product of the "historical imagination" of later periods – narratives aligned with prevailing worldviews that transformed "magical imagination" into an error of reason. The research draws upon the approaches of viewing "historical imagination as an object of study" and mnemohistory, to investigate how later narratives have shaped the understanding of "magical imagination." The Reformation actively opposed "magical imagination," shaping its image as a source of demonic influence. The Scientific Revolution, with its mechanistic worldview, stripped "magical imagination" of its ontological basis and "disenchanted" (psychologized) magic. R. Descartes also contributed to this process. The Enlightenment elevated reason, while "magical imagination" was associated with "superstitions." Romanticism rehabilitated imagination as a creative power, but in the aesthetic sphere, devoid of ontological "magicality." 18th-19th century historiography actively shaped a Renaissance devoid of "magical imagination." Enlightenment historians, through the "historical imagination" of their era, assigned esotericism to "pseudo-philosophy" and constructed a "rational history". 19th-century historiographers (J. Michelet, J. Burckhardt) established the perception of the Renaissance as the dawn of modernity, and "magical imagination" became a dark contrast to the "true" spirit of the period. Within the 1960s counterculture, accompanied by a renewed understanding of imagination, F. Yates's works on Hermeticism gained popularity. This demonstrates the power of a changing "historical imagination" to "re-remember" a previously ignored past. The work confirms the thesis: the historiographical marginalization of the Renaissance "magical imagination" is a direct consequence of the "historical imagination" of later periods. Through emotionally compelling narratives that resonated with prevailing worldviews, it was mnemohistorically transformed into "superstition," thereby suppressing its authentic understanding for centuries. |
