Projecting Spirits: Speculation, Providence, and Early Modern Optical Media

At the turn of the seventeenth century, the perception of chance and order, contingency and form shifted as a result of the development of optical media such as the camera obscura and the magic lantern. Pasi Väliaho's Projecting Spirits explores how these devices were used to give the world an intelligible and manageable design, and how they became critical metaphors in early responses to the turbulences of finance. This work expands our concept of the early media of projection, revealing how they spoke to early modern thinkers and shaped a new, speculative concept of the world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2022
Publisher: Stanford University Press

The history of projected images at the turn of the seventeenth century reveals a profound shift in perception regarding chance and order, contingency and form. In his insightful book, Projecting Spirits, Pasi Väliaho explores how the leading optical media of the period, the camera obscura and the magic lantern, emerged in response to and framed the central intellectual dilemma of the era: whether the world was governed by divine providence or subject to chance and open to speculation.

Väliaho demonstrates how camera obscuras and magic lanterns were employed in diverse ways to give the world an intelligible and manageable design. Jesuit scholars, driven by their pursuit of divine government, embraced projection devices as tools to understand the workings of the universe. On the other hand, Royal Society fellows utilized projection for empirical knowledge and colonial expansion. Projections of light and shadow became critical metaphors in early responses to the financial turbulences of the time. Väliaho argues that in such instances, projection became an indispensable cognitive form to both assert providence and make sense of an economic reality that was gradually moving away from divine guidance.

Drawing on a wide range of materials, including philosophical, scientific, and religious literature, visual arts, correspondence, poems, pamphlets, and illustrations, Projecting Spirits expands our understanding of the early media of projection. It reveals how these devices spoke to early modern thinkers and shaped a new, speculative concept of the world. Through his meticulous research and innovative approach, Väliaho offers a fresh perspective on the seventeenth century, shedding light on the complex interplay between faith, science, and culture in shaping our perception of the universe.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503631939