The universe didn’t force you not to believe in magic. You could have spent your whole life believing magnets are magical stones, that the electromagnetic force is magical energy, and that computer engineers are wizards who conjure spirits from magic. And you could have been 100% factually and scientifically correct.
But you chose to believe that magic is by definition not real, because you didn’t want to live in a world of whimsy and wonder. You defined magic as supernatural, in opposition to the natural world. While every scientist knows that nature is just a word for everything that exists. You chose to define magic in a way that it wouldn’t exist, denying it through tautology and not through science.
Why did you choose that?
Sure. Observable phenomena caused by things that aren’t real. For example, money isn’t real, and therefore the economy is magic. Gender isn’t real, so gender roles are magic. Alchemy isn’t real, so turning lead into gold is magic. Astrology isn’t real, so horoscopes are magic. The state isn’t real, so laws are magic. Hyperspace isn’t real, so the Millenium Falcon is magic. A medieval man suddenly transported into the modern day would have no concept of electrical current being real, so from his point of view computers are magic, but from our point of view they aren’t. Placebos aren’t real, so the placebo effect is magic. This definition accounts for every single example of magic by virtue of the fact that it uses the concept of reality, which means different things to different people. Thus, magic is able to mean different things to different people. The more reality someone believes in, the less magic they see in the world. But an antirealist or a solipsist would see everything as magic, which indeed I do.
This is not how anyone actually uses the word, though.
So you’re basically saying that anything you don’t understand is magic… That’s the same irrational thinking as people who explain things by simply saying “god did it”.
Money is very much real, either as gold/silver/etc, fiat, or ones and zeroes on a bank account or crypto wallet. Gender is not “real”, but it is a very real social construct. The state is a very real entity and its laws are very real rules set in place and enforced.
You’re correct in saying that alchemy, transmutation of lead to gold, astrology and horoscopes are not real. Yes, they are magic. The one thing they all have in common is that they do not exist in any form other than fiction, and neither does magic.
No, I didn’t say anything I don’t understand is magic. You’re just making bullshit up. I have a deep understanding of all of the magics I described above except for alchemy, which I’m barely a novice in. And they’re still magic, even though I understand them well.
Okay. It’s pretty obvious you’re just arguing in bad faith and using mindless semantics to debate the non existence of a fake thing. I’m done engaging with nonsense.
Enjoy your wishful thinking.
Ok, so your definition of magic is anything with complexity and alterability that is not well understood by the perceiver or subject.
So basically, ignorance.
I mean I guess I agree with you that the ignorant will label things that function in ways they do not understand, or take issue with, as magic.
So then! Your original posted meme does not work that well then.
Not sure why you posted a meme where atheists are dumb for defining magic as not real, thus precluding it from being real, when you yourself are an actual antirealist solipsist who does not believe in reality.
Pretty much a perfect example of the classic right wing authoritarian strategy of painting your opponents as bad because they believe in bad thing, when they themselves actually believe in the bad thing.
The ‘No U’ rhetoric.
No, I understand all the magics I listed except for alchemy very well. You’re full of shit.