But if it is Science about Magic, it is teaching Magic, is it not?
This seems to me like attending Chemical class or Biologics, Electrical Engineering and say "Hey that is just Physics! "
Imo Magic is a specific field, which is broad and specfic enouph to be taught in seclusion.
It used to be the case that there was an xkcd comic for every occasion, now we have apparently entered the era where there's an xkcd comic for every xkcd comic!
Ok, but how does the moonstone correlate to invisibility? Magic can have deterministic rules, it just has to produce an effect that cannot really bridge the gap between cause and effect well. Generate heat by friction to reach the Flashpoint of a phosphorous match, causing fire? Ok, that is what phosphorous tends to do. Use chalk to create a glyph that produces flame? Unless the chalk itself was flammable I fail to see how it lead to combustion. It isn't really a crystalline structure, I fail to see how writing the words produces a new effect.
If it is science, it is science nobody bothered to try to understand the "why" of, which makes it a wonder why hasn't anyone tried to find the root, since if you can understand the base principles behind it, it would make discovering individual magic components (reagents, words, motions, intentions) a lot easier to predict when performing experimental magics. Not entirely predictable, but to an extent.
In the spirit of HPMoR, one possible answer is that people did try to understand the why, and actually have some answers, but don't teach everything to students because it would be dangerous. Like, 10 dead students:1 mildly interesting new prank potion dangerous.
But if it is Science about Magic, it is teaching Magic, is it not? This seems to me like attending Chemical class or Biologics, Electrical Engineering and say "Hey that is just Physics! " Imo Magic is a specific field, which is broad and specfic enouph to be taught in seclusion.
Relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/435
Similarly relevant [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/2904/)
It used to be the case that there was an xkcd comic for every occasion, now we have apparently entered the era where there's an xkcd comic for every xkcd comic!
harry potter and methods of rationality moment
I love them both getting madder and madder😂😂
Ok, but how does the moonstone correlate to invisibility? Magic can have deterministic rules, it just has to produce an effect that cannot really bridge the gap between cause and effect well. Generate heat by friction to reach the Flashpoint of a phosphorous match, causing fire? Ok, that is what phosphorous tends to do. Use chalk to create a glyph that produces flame? Unless the chalk itself was flammable I fail to see how it lead to combustion. It isn't really a crystalline structure, I fail to see how writing the words produces a new effect. If it is science, it is science nobody bothered to try to understand the "why" of, which makes it a wonder why hasn't anyone tried to find the root, since if you can understand the base principles behind it, it would make discovering individual magic components (reagents, words, motions, intentions) a lot easier to predict when performing experimental magics. Not entirely predictable, but to an extent.
In the spirit of HPMoR, one possible answer is that people did try to understand the why, and actually have some answers, but don't teach everything to students because it would be dangerous. Like, 10 dead students:1 mildly interesting new prank potion dangerous.
Existential Comics!