Thoughts on Magic: Questions from my Dad.

[wolven7]

I sent my dad something I've been working on, loosely related to my thesis work, and these, in italics, are the questions and reflections he sent back. I'm working on these to help me better formulate what I'm doing, here.

Z1.) What is magic? In light of recent capture and study of myhtical/fantastic beasts (giant squids and the filly shark) or the creation of fantasic powers (heat-ray gun approved for use in Operation Iraqi Freedom) what is magic?

Magic is generally regarded as a system of acausal beliefs, which can somehow change the course of cause and effect in the natural universe, or bend what we know as natural laws.

I think that a re-examination is in order. That which we think of as magic is, in fact, a mis-understanding of the actual way the universe works. The macro and micro levels of physical reality being joined in the workings of the human mind, coupled with a system of underrstanding that allows belief and observation to influence the workings of sub-atomic matter and, from there, working the atomic, and so on.

Z2.)Is it true and obvious that that which is not substantiated by a culture’s ‘knowledge guardians’ is considered magical/fantastic/mythical? Who are the ‘knowledge guardians’? Where is the freedom of thought and investigation outside the current ‘knowledge sphere’? How have we been able to accelerate the rate and volume of ‘acceptable thought/knowledge’?

True and obvious? Perhaps not, but it is generally assumed to be the case, even when we learn things, and experience them as true. The assumed "Knowledge Guardians" are generally the ones who present the knowledge that is accepted by the rest of the world, the knowledge that accretes and meshes with the other systems of knowledge we have.

Z3.) How do we ‘retire’ knowledge.

I'll have to think about this one, a bit..

Z4.) Why do we cling to a belief that we can ‘master the universe through labeling and controlling knowledge when classical physics (a finite paradigm) yielded readily to quantum physics (an analog or continuous knowledge paradigm. And it would seem that –though barely articulable to the most educated, revered knowledge guardians- quantum physics will cede to another, more-progressive understanding that will be even murkier.

I don't think it can be said that it completely yielded, or, rather, that it Should yield. We could better describe it as recognition of the necessity of context. Classical physics works perfectly well, in a specific ocntext, but to better understand that context, and the operation of the contextual rules, we have to have some other explanatory set. We cannot explain a thing, with itself. This speaks to your later point: We can never have full control, even of ourselves.

Z5.) Submission to understanding is of greater value than submission to the current knowledge paradigm. By example master users of software applications are typically not those who read and hold to the chapter and verse of the user’s manual but she who expends the most energy-time exercising and in turn being exercised by the application – and application knowledge. The seed for application knowledge is the publsiher’s documentation but form that seed, forests of knowledge spring up and users experience the application true capability and put its potential to work against challenges un-thought of by the publisher or writers.

I agree with these statements, completely.

Z6.) Knowledge is analog, continuous and without bound. The curse of knowledge is that you can be too comfortable with the current state of understanding and proclaim that state to be the absolute knowledge. Sanity is accepting that there is no absolute knowledge.

Even this can become dogma, if we aren't careful. The idea that there is no absolute knowledge isn't to be built upon, it's to be recognised and worked through, designed to be a frame through which we gain as much knowledge-- changing, shifting, zero-point foundationed knowledge-- as we possibly can.

– Dad P.S. Nor is there absolute control – even over yourself.

See above note.

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Please keep in mind that my father is a computer systems analyst and engineer, currently doing contract work for the Department of Defense. He does not simply throw these ideas out of his ass. He thinks about them, logically, and works them through.

These are all process pieces, when it comes down to it. More to come.

Comments

[mendori.livejournal.com]

I love your dad.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

He is awesome.