Science and Magic

Example

The Babel Fish in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is inserted into one's ear and allows one to understand alien languages.

The Inertial Dampers in Star Trek allow the Enterprise to quickly accelerate to light speed without flattening everyone against the bulkhead.

Superman's powers let him do all kinds of things, from a quick change of clothes to saving the world (again) from the most recent evil genius.

Gandalf holds the Balrog at bay whilst the party in Lord of the Rings escape.

'The Force' in Star Wars is magic in a science-fiction setting on which Luke (and Darth Vader) can draw to perform all kinds of wonderful tricks.

Discussion

Science and magic, depending on whether the story is science fiction of fantasy, work outside of normal laws

Magic works out of normal physical laws, being as it is, metaphysical. It can thus be used to resolve most problems. Magic has a historical element to is, as many of our ancestors resolved the unexplained as being something magical. They also hoped (as we often still do) that magic would somehow save the day. When religion supplanted magic, then the gods became magician substitutes, although their fickle nature was less amenable.

We depend nowadays on science so much that we treat it as a modern magic. Science fiction is but a small step beyond and we assume it will solve all of tomorrow's problems too.

Quick links

Science and Magic

Description

Example

Discussion

See also

Site Menu

You can buy books here

Quick links

Disciplines

Techniques

Principles

Explanations

Theories

And

Site Menu

Quick links

Disciplines

Techniques

Principles

Explanations

Theories

And