Experiencing the Impossible

"Magic is one of the most enduring forms of entertainment and poses some of the most fundamental philosophical and psychological questions. Despite this, perhaps surprisingly, magic has received very little attention from people outside its sphere. In recent years psychologists, neuroscientists and philosophers have started to study magic more systematically, and the science of magic is now a field of its own. We now have scientific data that helps explain psychological and neurological mechanisms that underpin these mystifying experiences. The author is a magician and psychologist, and in…