In the Western tradition, the boundaries between magic, science and religion have been continually contested. In this straightforward text, Professor Tambiah shows that modern anthropological theorists drew upon the classical sources but introduced new, ethnographic case materials. An incisive account of the theories of Tylor, Frazer, Malinowski and Levy Bruhl is followed by a wide-ranging and suggestive discussion of rationality and relativism. The book concludes with a discussion of new thinking in the history and philosophy of science, which suggests fresh perspectives on the classical opposition between science and magic.