The Science Behind Magic

[Thomas McTavish]

Most fantasy worlds have magic in them. It seems to be the defining factor of Fantasy- aside from the mythic races, like Elves and Orcs. We often make the mistake of dismissing it's ability to be used by the simple fact that "it's magic," and magic doesn't need to be explained because of what it is. But what if we tried? What if we could come up with a logical explanation for why mages can throw fireballs, and clerics can heal fatal wounds with a touch and a word? I want you to try to give a logical, at least somewhat scientific explanation on how you think magic works, be it all magic in general, or a specific spell or practice.

Also, this is a discussion about the topic, so feel free to re-interpret others explanations, but PLEASE, DON'T MAKE THIS AN ARGUMENT OF HOW MAGIC SHOULD WORK. This is meant to be a fun discussion of the possibilities of the mechanics and science behind magic, and not a debate on how your logic is better than that of anyone else, though corrections of logical fallacy and incorrect science are usually welcome. Any members that turn this thread into a debate will be reported to the mods. Keep it friendly, and enjoy yourselves! ^^



I'll start by explaining my take on the mechanics of Pyromancy.

Heat is caused by the speed with which molecules vibrate and the amount of friction this vibration creates. The faster molecules vibrate, the hotter, the slower, the colder. Fire is essentially a visual representation of the heat created during the chemical reactions known as burning, which is often caused by the molecules of the burning object receiving more-than-normal amounts of energy, causing them to vibrate, cause friction, and create heat. My thought is that when magic is used to create fire, the caster is transferring energy to a space or object, to the point that the targeted space or object catches fire.

 

[Hatsune Candy]

Oh god no, the last time I tried to think of a logical explanation for how magic works, my brain exploded, I'm still finding pieces of it all over the place.

I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy, so I haven't looked too far into this stuff, but the way I see it, if you try to bring science into magic, it's no longer magic, it's just science. I think the mystery of magic is what makes it the most magical and it's the main reason why people are fascinated by it. If you try to explain how it works, you take away that magical element.

That's not to say it isn't fascinating, if anything, knowing how it works makes it even more fascinating, I just wouldn't call it magic anymore.

 

[Razilin]

i direct you arthur c. clarke's third law

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Oh god no, the last time I tried to think of a logical explanation for how magic works, my brain exploded, I'm still finding pieces of it all over the place.

I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy, so I haven't looked too far into this stuff, but the way I see it, if you try to bring science into magic, it's no longer magic, it's just science. I think the mystery of magic is what makes it the most magical and it's the main reason why people are fascinated by it. If you try to explain how it works, you take away that magical element.

That's not to say it isn't fascinating, if anything, knowing how it works makes it even more fascinating, I just wouldn't call it magic anymore.

I understand where you're coming from and actually agree, a big part of magic being magical is that it's unexplained and mysterious.

But sometimes, you just have to know why something works the way it does. I like to know how things work, especially when I don't already have an understanding of it. I really hope you're not taking my meaning in posting this discussion the wrong way and think I'm trying to destroy the magic behind magic. The point is for those who want an explanation for how magic works to try to come up with one, or get an idea of how it could work from the interpretations of others. And even if you're better off having magic in your RP world remain unexplained and mysterious, it's still good exercise for the brain and practice for reinforcing your explanations for things in general with logic.

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Clarke's third law works, too.

 

[Fijoli]

I think MANY ways but one of my favorites is, I think Magic should work through terms of Frequency, and its vibration.


some example that inspire this:

Using phyics and the gravity of our UNIVERSE to create illusions.
​

This video is a bit long but SUPER education in terms of gravity and relativity!! VISUAL AIDED LEARNING!


Using basic knowledge to turn water to ice in an instant!

the Bioluminescent Beaches, GLOW WORMS !!! dude...Bioluminecence alone!...am way to excited about this thread ^_^;

 

[Dreaded Sonata]

Being into martial arts let me try this.

Chi is a force in the body that everyone has, but have to learn to use. It can take many forms such as heat, cold spots (if used right) or be used to accelerate healing by unblocking the pathways that were clogged during an injury.

As such this force can be used in many ways. Such as to put out candles from across the room once one has learned how to focus it. So in my mind magic could simply be Chi amped up a bit, and taking on a visable form. As what it does greatly depends on what your intention is. As you have to want to heal someone if you attempt to use it in such a manner.

 

[Hatsune Candy]

I understand where you're coming from and actually agree, a big part of magic being magical is that it's unexplained and mysterious.

But sometimes, you just have to know why something works the way it does. I like to know how things work, especially when I don't already have an understanding of it. I really hope you're not taking my meaning in posting this discussion the wrong way and think I'm trying to destroy the magic behind magic. The point is for those who want an explanation for how magic works to try to come up with one, or get an idea of how it could work from the interpretations of others. And even if you're better off having magic in your RP world remain unexplained and mysterious, it's still good exercise for the brain and practice for reinforcing your explanations for things in general with logic.

Oh, no, I can understand the curiosity. I, myself, am a very curious person. I think magic's still magic even if you know how it works, it just doesn't feel as magical if you do, imo.

Well, anyways, I tried to come up with a theory for how certain magics work, but my brain only proceeded to explode a second time.
I'd like to think that it has something to do with quantum mechanics, but that's about all I can offer because this subject just requires so much brain power I can barely even.