SoMA Newsletter - Apr/May 2021

Hello!

Hope everyone's been doing as well as possible. For this May newsletter, I'd like to highlight a particular historical letter: This month marks the 141st anniversary of the publication of Wilhelm Wundt's Der Spiritismus: Eine Sogenannte Wissenschaftliche (English translation here), which debuted in May 1879. While this isn't likely to be recognized as a major holiday anytime soon, I think it nonetheless represents an important moment in the history of the science of magic. Wundt, now known as the 'Founding Father of Experimental Psychology' had witnessed a seance conducted by the American medium Henry Slade. Some of Wundt's academic colleagues at the University of Leipzig believed that Slade possessed genuine powers, and they attempted literally re-write the laws of physics to accommodate their observations. Wundt published an open letter to put himself on record as a skeptic of Slade's powers. In particular, he asserted that everything he had witnessed Slade perform might be attributable to taschenspieler kunststücke (i.e. sleight-of-hand or jugglery). Wundt's contention arguably helped lay the groundwork for subsequent researchers to integrate the concept of magic tricks into research on human perception and cognition.

(Bonus contemporary hook: One of Henry Slade's most prominent scientific defenders was the biologist Alfred Russel Wallace. Wallace can be credited with 'co-developing' the theory of natural selection along with Charles Darwin. Wallace was an outspoken proponent of evolution, *ahem* 'round earthism', and spiritualism. He was also one of the leading voices in the Victorian anti-vaccination movement, which I think brings us back around to today.)

Thanks to everyone who participated in our first Conversations on Science, Magic, & Society webinar! You can now watch a recording the event on our site. Our next webinar, on the topic of 'Magic, Charlatanry, & Skepticism' is coming up on May 30 (details below).

We're looking forward to 'seeing' some of you at our upcoming events.

In the meantime, here're some SoM related news items.

Stay safe & sane,

Matt Tompkins
On Behalf of the SoMA Committee

Next Webinar:
Magic, Charlatanry, & Skepticism

Our next webinar will take place 30 May at 2pm EST. Featuring author, magician, and skeptical activist Jamy Ian Swiss alongside Prof. Chris French, the founder of Goldsmiths, University of London's Anomalistic Psychology Department, and Prof. Caroline Watt, the holder of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh.
We'll be discussing how magic can be used to facilitate critical thinking and scientific exploration.

All our webinars will be free to attend, but you will need to register in order to receive a Zoom link

First Webinar: Magic for Non-Humans

You can now watch a recording of our first webinar, featuring mentalist/magician Jose Ahomen, alongside Professors Nicky Clayton and Clive Wilkins, with Prof Wally Smith.

Watch the recorded event HERE

Magic & Misinfo in the FT

A recent piece in the Financial Times evokes research being done by Alice Pailhès and Gustav Kuhn along with work by the Choice Blindness Lab to explore the idea of misinformation in contemporary media.

You can read the article HERE

New Research Highlight:
Magic Tricks and 'Intuitive Physics'

Casey Lewry and her colleagues at Princeton's Computational Cognitive Science Lab have published a very cool new paper that shows that adults' perceptions of magic effects can be directly related to the intuitive physical expectations that we develop in infancy and early childhood.

You can read the full paper HERE

Virtual Book Launch: The Confidence Men

Margalit Fox has written an excellent new book that details the bizarre true story of a pair of soldiers, EH Jones & CW Hill, who engineered their escape from a WWI prison camp using a homemade Ouija board. I had the pleasure of catching an early peak at this book, and I can heartily recommend it as a delightful work of historical nonfiction that incorporates some excellent tie-ins to contemporary psychology and science of magic research.

This free virtual launch event will feature Fox in conversation with Liza Mundy (author of Code Girls)

More info and registration HERE

Evening with Psychology Virtual Symposium

Next Thursday (May 27), Poland's Jan Dlugosz University is hosting a virtual "Evening with Psychology," featuring some familiar SoMA faces, including Richard Wiseman, Vebjørn Ekroll, and Anthony Barnhart. It's free and open to the public.

Full details and registration HERE

Call for Papers:
Understanding
Consciousness through
the Science of Magic

SoMA is teaming up with the APA's Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice to produce a special section.

Thanks to everyone who has already submitted!

You can read the full details HERE
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis
(Deadline: 1 July 2021)

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