Magic.

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by TheFrogger, May 29, 2018.

  1. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    But we agree that that's the only "magic" there is, don't we?
     
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  3. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    So your dictionary definition was not helpful. The difference between physical and mental is not cut and dried.
     
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  5. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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  7. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    It's an inappropriate use of the word, part of the scam used to separate fools and their money created by P. T. Barnum, et. al.
     
  8. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    I'd say it's the only appropriate use of the word: magic = scam. (Of course, we do enjoy being scammed for entertainment purposes.)
     
  9. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    I would say the magic used in LOTR would be the only appropriate use of the term. A fictional power found in fantasies. Seeing live humans doing what is billed as "magic" should be chargeable as fraud.
     
  10. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Well, I personally believe there is no such thing as the supernatural type of magic, but to assert so in this thread would be begging the question.

    I assume even the most fervent of believers don't think of card tricks as the pinnacle of what they think is magic. So I think we need to define what kind of magic those believers insist is "real" magic.

    That would start with the OP. What examples of magic, exactly, is he thinking?
     
  11. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    That would be the kind where trolls are real.
     
  12. gmilam Valued Senior Member

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    Internet forums are magic?
     
  13. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    "Dawn take you all!"
     
  14. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    I looked at the OP again:

    Seems to me that card tricks are exactly what he's talking about.
     
  15. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    That's overly simplistic. We need to separate fraud from entertainment in a lot of areas. Do you want to charge the producers of Lord of the Rings with fraud?
     
  16. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    WTF
     
  17. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    Well do you? how is a card trick more fraudulent than a movie?
     
  18. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Where have you wander off to?
     
  19. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    1. You said that, "Seeing live humans doing what is billed as 'magic' should be chargeable as fraud."

    2. Have you ever heard of movie magic? If not, you can Google it.

    3. So, what's the difference between Penn and Teller saying, "We're going to entertain you by pretending to pull a rabbit out of a hat, predicting what card you will pick, etc." and Peter Jackson saying, "I'm going to entertain you by pretending to show you orcs, dragons, etc."?

    How is a movie different from a "magic" show? How can you charge "live humans doing what is billed as 'magic'" with fraud unless you charge every movie-maker too? Do you not understand the difference between entertainment and fraud?
     
  20. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Sorry, but I'm not up to clarifying that.
     
  21. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Lord of the Rings portrays magic as real, too. But everyone knows it's not, just like everyone knows that David Copperfield doesn't really make airplanes vanish, just like Santa doesn't really exist, and just like everyone knows that _any_ magic show is a show of clever illusions.
     
  22. Magical Realist Valued Senior Member

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    How is the thought of your wife a chemical process? You could introspect the thought of your wife all day and never turn up anything about a chemical process. You could also examine the chemical process all day and never turn up anything about the thought of your wife. How are they the same thing?
     
  23. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I guess I thought that was just a poor example.

    So, the only question on the table then is: is the OP in any doubt as to whether card tricks are real magic?
    If he thinks so, that's gob-smackingly naive. If he does not, what is this thread about?
     

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