identify 2-3 rhetorical devices and include a minimum of TWO (2) quotes as support. Finish up
with a conclusion that includes a reflection and evaluation.
MLA format guidelines by Purdue
Article: A message from magic to science: seeing how the brain can be tricked may strengthen our
thinking
Rhetorical Analysis Paper
Österblom, Scheffer, Esso, Miller, Bascompte (2015) in their article: “A message from
magic to science: seeing how the brain can be tricked may strengthen our thinking” claim that
artistic skills can be successfully applied in science to solve major global problems. The authors
develop the idea through an explanation of three assertions about the functionality of the human
mind and the works of magicians and illusionists. The authors initially introduce the
achievements that have been made through scientific works. The author points the previous
works that together support the importance of collaborating science and art. The author goes
ahead and explains three supporting assertions on the limits that the scientific way of thinking
has, contrasting with the success of artistic illusion and magic. All through the article, the authors
expound on the limitation of the human cognitive functioning. At the same time, the authors use
examples of how and magicians and illusionists utilize the same weaknesses exhibited by human
brain functioning. The authors of the article use examples of the limitations on the application of
scientific experimentation in solving global issues such as climate change. The authors write the
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article in order to pursue scientists to collaborate with artists in their scientific conceptualization,
experiments, and development of evidence based practices. The targeted audiences of this article
are scientists who need to incorporate art in developing, executing scientific works. The purpose
of the rhetorical analysis to analyze the ideas, examples and the style the authors use to
communicate.
The article by Österblom et al., (2015, p.1) is an assertion of the weaknesses of human
thinking. The article explains that the weaknesses are limitations for useful scientific discoveries
in solving global problems. The article utilizes examples of earlier works of literature to
demonstrate the agreement between the various authors on the need to incorporate art into the
science. The authors discuss three main forms of human brain weakness. The article utilizes the
exploitation of illusionists and magicians on the human audience to point out the various
limitations of humans pertain to perception, reasoning, and cognitive reasoning. The authors use
examples of various practical global problems such as climate change to illustrate the limitation
of science in solving such challenges. The article generally explains the need to apply the skills
and concepts of art and imagination to form the basis for scientific research. The article proposes
that for science to succeed and the invention of new ideas, art should be involved as part of the
scientific work (Österblom et al., 2015 p.1).
Österblom et al., (2015 p.1) begins by reporting previous works that support the
integration of art into a science. The article quotes several authors who have written to support
the incorporation of science with artistic skills. The authors further state how previous works
have demonstrated the limitations and weaknesses of relying on scientific methodologies. The
authors describe how illusionists and magicians exploit the limitations of the scientific thinking
pattern to influence their audiences. Besides, the authors of the article use anatomy to illustrate
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that the mind is composed of specialized parts; one of the brain parts utilizes creative and artistic
thinking whereas the other part utilizes accurate, scientific processing.
Long before psychologists studied such limitations of the brain, generations of
stage magicians, or illusionists, already made sophisticated use of the weaknesses
in the human systems of perception and interpretation. (p.1)
The previous works support the authors’ argument that the successful application of
scientific ideas depends on the incorporation of artistic styles. The various authors agree to the
association between science and art. The ability of magicians to manipulate their audiences is an
example of the limitation of the mind for thinking and interpretation. Illusionists and magicians
utilize the weaknesses of the human mind to challenge perception and reasoning of individuals
(Österblom et al., 2015 p.1).
After, introducing earlier literature on the topic, Österblom et al., (2015) discusses how
illusionists and magicians manipulate weaknesses of human cognitive thinking. The authors
discuss how magicians use the tendency of humans to see what they excel to see;
One tends to see evidence that confirms a theory more easily than one sees
observations that, from the theory, are unexpected. This tendency tends to play
out solidly in the individual mind, but a similar tunnel vision can scale up,
enforced by social feedbacks, to keep an entire field of science captivated by one
particular look at the world. (p.3)
The authors also explain that magicians and illusionists manipulate the failure of humans
to perceive that that is not in their attention. The authors explain the exploitation of the weakness
of the human brain’s functioning by illusionists and magicians. The authors also use the example
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of how magicians utilize humans’ weakness in relying on what they already know to make
conclusions and form expectations (Österblom et al., 2015 p.1).
The authors conclude that the works of the magicians and illusionists do not imply that
science should rely on illusions and magic. However, illusions and magic are pointers to the
weaknesses of the human brain. The authors point out that the weaknesses of the human brain
need to be addressed in order to ensure that science succeeds in addressing global challenges
(Österblom et al., 2015 p.1).
Science needs art in order to serve the purpose of solving the problems encountered by
human beings. Science should not be entirely applied based on cognitive thinking, interpretation,
and perception of ideas and phenomenon. The authors utilize the history of human evolution to
assert the significance of science for human survival. The authors also utilize previous works of
writing to support the interrelationship between science and art. The authors explain the
exploitation of the weakness of the human brain’s functioning by illusionists and magicians. This
description concerns the weakness of humans to expect what they want, inability to perceive any
idea outside their focus and use of previous knowledge to form the basis for new ideas. The
examples support the central idea that for science to be productive and progressive there is need
to integrate scientific reasoning with art. The article articulates the main challenge faced by
science as an innovative subject. Therefore, the occurrence of a paradigm shift is dependent on
different thinking, a characteristic of an artistic way of perception and reasoning.
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Works Cited
Österblom, H., Scheffer, M., Westley, F. R., van Esso, M. L., Miller, J., & Bascompte, J. (2015).
A message from magic to science: seeing how the brain can be tricked may strengthen
our thinking. Ecology and Society, 20(4).
