What is Magic? - Page 2 - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

Sibeling · 15th February 2006, 08:09 AM

Magic is just a set of natural rules that make impossible things work (in fantasy, that is, in reality magic does not exist

)

Saeltari · 7th March 2006, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sibeling

Magic is just a set of natural rules that make impossible things work (in fantasy, that is, in reality magic does not exist

)

Magic does exist! It does! It does! It does! Wake up and watch a sunrise. I have watched them from all over this world and each time no matter where I was, it was magic. Not a sunset, a sunrise. There is really nothing like it.
Magic is abundant in this world, we as humans just tend to shutter our eyes and senses to it anymore.

Edit: on another note that was my 15th post so I should magically be able to use smileys now . . .

.

WhoooHooo!!!! . . .

Presea · 7th March 2006, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saeltari

Magic does exist!Wake up and watch a sunrise. I have watched them from all over this world and each time no matter where I was, it was magic. Not a sunset, a sunrise. There is really nothing like it.

Aww, such a romantic!

Yes, I agree with this.. it is nice to think that magic is in many things around us, yet as we busy ourselves with more practical and material concepts of life, we tend to overlook it. Magic doesn't have to be the mystical-flashy-effects in stories, as said before.

Sibeling · 8th March 2006, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saeltari

Magic does exist! It does! It does! It does! Wake up and watch a sunrise. I have watched them from all over this world and each time no matter where I was, it was magic. Not a sunset, a sunrise. There is really nothing like it.

I absolutely hate getting up early. If I ever manage to get up as early as sunrise, I simply won't be able to keep my eyes open. And I will have a massive headache the whole day after getting up so early. You call that magic?

On a more serious note, sunrise is not magic, that is just natural phenomena. It may be beautiful and it may make you feel nice, but there is nothing magical about it.

Saeltari · 8th March 2006, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sibeling

I absolutely hate getting up early. If I ever manage to get up as early as sunrise, I simply won't be able to keep my eyes open. And I will have a massive headache the whole day after getting up so early. You call that magic?

On a more serious note, sunrise is not magic, that is just natural phenomena. It may be beautiful and it may make you feel nice, but there is nothing magical about it.

Aww, my friend there is magic there if you but look for it. You mustn't look with an analytical mind. My words may have confused, I apologize, I didn't mean a sunrise 'is' magic

. Science is great and I enjoy many of its benefits each day

, but there is magic in a sunrise. It is only a matter of not focusing on what you know

but on what you are in each moment.

Saeltari · 9th March 2006, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Presea

Aww, such a romantic!

Yes, I agree with this.. it is nice to think that magic is in many things around us, yet as we busy ourselves with more practical and material concepts of life, we tend to overlook it. Magic doesn't have to be the mystical-flashy-effects in stories, as said before.

Me a romantic? Mmm, perhaps

.
Science labels, magic is. Now, don't all the scientists leap up to strangle me,

I like science and am pretty familiar with it. It doesn't, however, preclude magic

.

Druss The Legend · 9th March 2006, 11:51 AM

magic is a force of power through the mind

Saeltari · 9th March 2006, 07:11 PM

A person could almost make the case that science is only magic with known rules. . .

Glyptus · 12th March 2006, 12:46 PM

I once sat down in the driver's seat of my friend's car. It was parked. There was no key in the ignition, but I knew from experience that certain cars could be started by simply turning the carriage where the key goes. So I turned the key carriage, and the car started up.

My friend was astonished that I'd started his car without the key. "How did you do that?" he asked. I replied, "I just turned the carriage. Some cars can be started up like that." "I know," he said, "but not mine!" He went on to explain, in mechanical detail, how this works with some ignition systems, and why it couldn't possibly work in the case of his ignition.

So then, I turned the carriage back, and the engine stopped. I tried again to start it up the same way, but it didn't work. I tried several times, but the engine wouldn't start again.

Why, I wondered? I think it was because, the first time I did it, I had absolutely no doubt that it would work. And that's why it did.

Magic?

jude1972 · 29th March 2006, 02:24 AM

Magic can never be explained or it would cease to be.Magic in the real world, for me, is the love of my family and getting completely lost in a book, film or person..........best magic there is

Foxtale · 29th March 2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJRevell

Magic is an unexplainable event, for better or worse.

So amino acids and proteins in early Earth's history turning into RNA then DNA is magic?

Teresa Edgerton · 30th March 2006, 12:05 AM

Historically, magic is a set of assumptions about how the world is made and how things happen -- which the magician studies in order to be able to manipulate them. Magic was never about performing "the impossible" but about uncovering (or exploiting) obscure natural laws -- for which reason, magic and science were inextricably mixed through most of human history.

Some of the assumptions that have governed magical thinking are:

That we share the world with other, non-human, intelligences, and that it is possible to communicate with them. They may be super-human, sub-human, or simply extra-human, but whichever they are, their capacities are different from our own. They may or may not take an interest in human affairs -- if not, there are ways of gaining their interest and enlisting their assistance. However, there is always an element of danger in treating with these intelligences, because their interest once gained can easily turn malign.

That objects which share even the most superficial similarities are somehow connected. That things which have been in contact in the past maintain something of their former relationship even at a distance. That the part continues to share an identity with the whole. That mimicking something can cause it to happen. (These are the basic rules of sympathetic magic.)

That a word and the thing it describes share a degree of identity. Therefore, words are powerful, especially names. That numbers and geometry have power, as do geometric figures and other symbols. When words, numbers, and symbols are combined in the right way, remarkable things may be accomplished.

That there are natural sympathies and antipathies between apparently unrelated things. A knowledge of these sympathies and antipathies can be used to form favorable or unfavorable combinations or conjunctions. This knowledge is particularly useful in creating charms and talismans.

That one substance can be transformed into another. That it is possible for one form of life to be transformed (willingly or unwillingly) into another -- men into beasts, beasts into men, etc.

That a trained and powerful will can overpower a weaker will by sheer mental force. That such a will may also exert an influence over inanimate objects.

That the world is made up of endlessly repeated patterns, geometries, and numerical relationships, and as each part reflects, in some way, the whole, therefore seemingly random events or conjunctions (if rightly interpreted) can be used to predict future events.

There are a lot more assumptions, but my mind is blanking on them just at the moment.

steve12553 · 30th March 2006, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxtale

So amino acids and proteins in early Earth's history turning into RNA then DNA is magic?

Maybe. Some people have said that there is a reason or force behind the incredible string of events that causes things to happen as they do. Life, the universe and everything that happens in it (to paraphrase Douglas Adams). Erik Van Daaniken said that the only word in the English language is God. George Lucas called it "The Force". Magic is also a word for it. That, of course, is not the only meaning of the word but it is surely one.

GrownUp · 30th March 2006, 02:05 AM

Magic, I reckon, is something otherwise unlikely or inexplicable that is invoked with a spell.

For example, love isn't magic except metaphorically.

Unless, of course, it is invoked with a love spell.

Nokia · 31st March 2006, 03:19 PM

It always bugs me slightly when magic is used in a book cos I just want an explanation of how it can exist. I was pleasantly satisfied when reading Chris Paolini's works though.

15th February 2006, 08:09 AM	#16 (permalink)
Sibeling Born to rune Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Latvia Posts: 267	Re: What is Magic? Magic is just a set of natural rules that make impossible things work (in fantasy, that is, in reality magic does not exist )

9th March 2006, 11:51 AM	#22 (permalink)
Druss The Legend English Lad Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Singapore Posts: 3	Re: What is Magic? magic is a force of power through the mind

9th March 2006, 07:11 PM	#23 (permalink)
Saeltari Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Hawaii Posts: 111	Re: What is Magic? A person could almost make the case that science is only magic with known rules. . .

12th March 2006, 12:46 PM	#24 (permalink)
Glyptus Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 15	Re: What is Magic? I once sat down in the driver's seat of my friend's car. It was parked. There was no key in the ignition, but I knew from experience that certain cars could be started by simply turning the carriage where the key goes. So I turned the key carriage, and the car started up. My friend was astonished that I'd started his car without the key. "How did you do that?" he asked. I replied, "I just turned the carriage. Some cars can be started up like that." "I know," he said, "but not mine!" He went on to explain, in mechanical detail, how this works with some ignition systems, and why it couldn't possibly work in the case of his ignition. So then, I turned the carriage back, and the engine stopped. I tried again to start it up the same way, but it didn't work. I tried several times, but the engine wouldn't start again. Why, I wondered? I think it was because, the first time I did it, I had absolutely no doubt that it would work. And that's why it did. Magic?

29th March 2006, 02:24 AM	#25 (permalink)
jude1972 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Falkirk Posts: 3	Re: What is Magic? Magic can never be explained or it would cease to be.Magic in the real world, for me, is the love of my family and getting completely lost in a book, film or person..........best magic there is

30th March 2006, 12:05 AM	#27 (permalink)
Teresa Edgerton Ink-stained Wretch Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: California Posts: 4,481	Re: What is Magic? Historically, magic is a set of assumptions about how the world is made and how things happen -- which the magician studies in order to be able to manipulate them. Magic was never about performing "the impossible" but about uncovering (or exploiting) obscure natural laws -- for which reason, magic and science were inextricably mixed through most of human history. Some of the assumptions that have governed magical thinking are: That we share the world with other, non-human, intelligences, and that it is possible to communicate with them. They may be super-human, sub-human, or simply extra-human, but whichever they are, their capacities are different from our own. They may or may not take an interest in human affairs -- if not, there are ways of gaining their interest and enlisting their assistance. However, there is always an element of danger in treating with these intelligences, because their interest once gained can easily turn malign. That objects which share even the most superficial similarities are somehow connected. That things which have been in contact in the past maintain something of their former relationship even at a distance. That the part continues to share an identity with the whole. That mimicking something can cause it to happen. (These are the basic rules of sympathetic magic.) That a word and the thing it describes share a degree of identity. Therefore, words are powerful, especially names. That numbers and geometry have power, as do geometric figures and other symbols. When words, numbers, and symbols are combined in the right way, remarkable things may be accomplished. That there are natural sympathies and antipathies between apparently unrelated things. A knowledge of these sympathies and antipathies can be used to form favorable or unfavorable combinations or conjunctions. This knowledge is particularly useful in creating charms and talismans. That one substance can be transformed into another. That it is possible for one form of life to be transformed (willingly or unwillingly) into another -- men into beasts, beasts into men, etc. That a trained and powerful will can overpower a weaker will by sheer mental force. That such a will may also exert an influence over inanimate objects. That the world is made up of endlessly repeated patterns, geometries, and numerical relationships, and as each part reflects, in some way, the whole, therefore seemingly random events or conjunctions (if rightly interpreted) can be used to predict future events. There are a lot more assumptions, but my mind is blanking on them just at the moment.

30th March 2006, 02:05 AM	#29 (permalink)
GrownUp Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cardiff Posts: 426	Re: What is Magic? Magic, I reckon, is something otherwise unlikely or inexplicable that is invoked with a spell. For example, love isn't magic except metaphorically. Unless, of course, it is invoked with a love spell.

31st March 2006, 03:19 PM	#30 (permalink)
Nokia Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: UK: ENGLAND: Posts: 79	Re: What is Magic? It always bugs me slightly when magic is used in a book cos I just want an explanation of how it can exist. I was pleasantly satisfied when reading Chris Paolini's works though.

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