Can scientist do magic?

[edwest2]

I am very aware of the cargo cults, however, if these same people had been taught the basic principles of flight: like how to make a simple hand-held glider, and the very basic idea of how it could glide through the air, the cult aspect would disappear.

Can you provide an example of the “magical thinking” you refer to?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Gaber]

I am very aware of the cargo cults, however, if these same people had been taught the basic principles of flight: like how to make a simple hand-held glider, and the very basic idea of how it could glide through the air, the cult aspect would disappear.

Can you provide an example of the “magical thinking” you refer to?

Thanks,
Ed

People who buy lottery tickets? Religion, in most minds? Psychotherapy? Politics? Scientism?

And yes, it would disappear. I still maintain that until educated, the airplane in this case, or a remote, or a light switch, could appear to be “magic” until understood.

 

[NonServiam]

So on your view nothing exists in reality

By your definition, “nothing” isn’t a thing that exists, nor is it something that can exist. That means you’re talking about something make believe and trying to draw conclusions from it.

I’m taking reality and naming it’s opposite

Which doesn’t exist and can’t exist, according to you. Hence my point.

 

[edwest2]

You have to look at everything you listed and break it down.

Lottery tickets. Regardless of what you may think, there is a real chance of winning something, so there is no magic involved.

Religion? You either believe it’s true or not. If something actually happened then it’s not magical at all.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

After researching magic, it is clear that there are various forms and various components. I’m not going to provide a “how to” but the general practice of magic usually involved known and unknown spirits.

If we’re talking fiction, this is insufficient and is why I often quote Clarke’s Third Law within the context of fiction only and not so much with fact (which seems to be what you’re doing).

The practice (or better yet, subject) of magic can also be a category of academic research in the fantasy genre (it even has subcategories such as high magic, time magic, biomancy, alchemy etc). Reading your post, it doesn’t seem like you’re giving fantasy its fair side of the story. If you actually look up popular tropes between it and science-fiction, you’ll see a lot of similarities and Clarke’s Third Law makes sense. They have researchers. They have theories. They have established laws. There are hardly to no spirits involved. It’s a power that is accessed to much like electricity or steam.

Since it is based on existing knowledge and technology, I don’t see where any connection can be made to magic. I mean I’ve read science fiction stories where a space traveler would cure a very human but very primitive alien by giving him an injection or a small amount of powder added to some water to cure him. But - what is never expressed in the stories I know of is this - if you took those very primitive people and trained them in the use of our advanced technology and how it worked, it would cease to be “magic” to them.

Again, that depends on your definition of what ‘magic’ is. If anything, fictional/fantastical magic is nothing like the real world counterparts you are citing. The only difference between it and its advanced technological counterparts in science-fiction is really the materials use and the visual aesthetics.

But other than that, the intent and end results are the same. How different is channeling a primitive yet potent energy (popular example: mana) and shooting it out from a pentagram in your hand from simply installing a flamethrower gauntlet to the same effect?