What came first:science or magic?

Answer 1

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." --- Arthur C. Clarke

Answer 2

Magic

Answer 3

Ah, that one that has being going on since the distant mists of scierntific explanations & myths of "magic".
I look at the whole show this way.
Magic cannot explain science, but science can explain magic.
So it has the upper hand.
When I have done seemingly impossible bits of "magic" for my sons, neices, nephews etc. it is all down to manipulation, bit of mixing of potions, illusion, or just good thinking.

Per example : I asked my son to write down a playing card number & suit, and stick it in a pocket of his school uniform, then asked him to check with the school bus driver when being dropped off the next morning.
Lo & behold ! the correct card was there in the drivers top pocket
So I said, if it is the right one, put it in water, and it will smoke and dissolve to hide the trick
So is the "magic" and illusion but all done by scientific & logical thinking.

I suppose in the very distant past, when science was little understood, folks relied on a bit of magic to cure ills, make crops grow, and set fire to food etc.

All fancy bits of magic now rely on sophisticated engineering & science. Make London Bridge dissapear before your eyes ? Yup, with cameras and a see-through projection screen, laptop controlled timing, and the illusion is there, although you could descibe the technology as a bit of magic, I suppose.

As for above trick, if you fancy trying it - it is all in a long winded preparation, but worth it

1st off, you obviously wait until said child is asleep, and have rummage through the pockets when hanging up the school uniform for the next morning. So you know the card. That is the obvious bit.
Take two of the same cards, card based, not the plastic ones, and soak them, from old decks, in a mixture of magnesium powder , sodium chloride dust, & a bit of sulphur. Dry & iron flat carefully.
Nip into town "just going for a pint", to the bus depot, and ask Cheif matey which ones are doing the number 97 route tomorrow morning school run , and of course, explain fully what you are doing. Most essential these days.
Matey the Bus lets you on board the two possibilities, with a giggle, and a note to the drivers.

Son No1 arrives home later the next day to explain that not only did the driver have the correct card, but it did indeed fizzle and dissapear in a beaker of water.

Well, son. That's magic !
Not really !, just fun using science to do tricks.
Oh I do worse, in the interests of seeming "magic", great fun.

I must relate the bloke that took off in a light aircraft, didn't jump with a 'chute, stepped out, but was nowhere to be found on landing.
Myself, I'm afraid. Walked into the bar, ordered a round, and said What ? what are you all looking at. ? Boarded the silly Cessna 172, and went out the door.

OK, I had a 'chute on, bit simply used the grab rails to hang onto the leading edge of the starboard wing and wrapped my legs around it

Daft ? probably. But still here to tell of the idea. No magic involved !

Bob

Answer 4

It's a bit the chicken and the egg. I think magic is science and science is magic. Something 'magical' happens. We want to explain it and that's the birth of science. And because of science we know about a lot of wonders in the world (and beyond)

Answer 5

Subconsciously, Science came first. Science is the attempt to explain existence by use of the faculty of reason. To catch a rabbit requires an understanding of rabbit physiology, which is an aspect of science. So primitive humans, even if they weren't aware of it, were using science to live.

Magic, like faith itself, is a perversion of the scientific process. "Jumping to conclusions" is a fine way of putting it. It only comes after man has the luxury to sit down and think about existence. For example, when man observed the world to be flat, he incorrectly assumed the Earth to be a gigantic plate on the back of a turtle, without actually seeing the edge of the plate or the turtle. This does not mean the observational process is flawed, however. the world we observe is flat because the Earth is so vast its curvature is not observable at the human level. The early man simply abandoned reason in matters that didn't pertain to his direct survival.

However, science as a concept did not appear untill much later in history. In particular, the theory of Evolution solved an age old question, and demonstrated to the world that science is a superior way of discovering truths about the universe than religion. Maybe that's why of all the scientific advances in the past 200 years, Evolution is the most reviled among theists.

Answer 6

Everything in this world can be explained by rough science. In this term, science includes known and unknown pieces of information.

DEFINITION PROBLEMS ... this is the keyword

When a puppy reaches maturity it becomes a dog; when ice melts it is called water; when twelve months have been used up, we get a new calendar with the proper chronological name; when 'magic' becomes scientific fact we refer to it as medicine, astronomy, etc. When one name is no longer appropriate for a given thing it is only logical to change it to a new one which better fits the subject.

Take lightning for example. The ancient Greeks knew nothing about electricity, so lightning became part of their mythology as the main weapons of Zeus.

Magic is used to describe things we do not understand.

Answer 7

Ancient people viewed science as magic, and most likely, magic is just science.

Answer 8

Magic.
Where ever there is life, there is magic. Magic is all around us in nature, and in the beliefs of everyone.
Science is just there to try and explain the magic.

Answer 9

Magic because people thought that a greater power was helping them.

Answer 10

Taking science to means the discovery of things, I would say science, whichever view you take of bothe science and magic.

Answer 11

It was probably magic then science gave it understanding.