I have seen this issue talkd abotu slightly in otehr threads, but I thought I would start this oen so that it could be properly discussed.

I like to think that Magic is wholly separate from Science in general. It may share some of the same principles but I don't like the idea of say Potions being the same as Chemistry.

Perhaps their are Magical Sciences. Magical Chemistry, Magical Physics, Magical Biology.

There is the muchly overused idea that to master potions one only needs to understnad the basic principles of chemistry. I think that is wrong, because itis trying to rationalise magic.

Perhaps in Magical Chemistry every item as a magical frequency, and different frequencies react differently with each other.

Like to make up a potion, all you need to do is work out that "well iten X here has a frequency of 5.0003, which will react slightly with iten Y with frequency 7.0984, but item F with frequency 1.3267 will negate the reaction and turn it into a powerful acidic substance when combined with iten T wiht frequency 6.3956."

Maybe in Magical Physics, there are different laws of gravity and how they affect magic. for instance, does 'that which goes up must come down" really affect magic?

In Magical Biology maybe magical creature hav few biological similarities with non-magical ones, because their magic does things that non-magical creatures have had to evolve different organs to do.

And I am aware that this may well make no sense, so I apologise to those whonow want to jump into a cavern of sentient kitchen ware due to the insanity induced by reading my crazed theories.

 

no, no, you make perfect sense; magic canNOT be rationalized through regular science, and magical science should maintain a separate identity from 'muggle' science. It'd be really quite interesting to make a new science based on just magic...

 

That theory makes sense to me. Although, the magical chemisty is a little weird. I understand it, but it just seems a little weird, because if that were true, then at what time would it be explained. Also, with the magical frequency, how would they find out what the frequency was for each object?

 

possibly the frequency can be felt by a person with enough traning, and the number is merely a way of classifying the feeling you get with each ingredient.

 

Or perhaps there could be a spell that displays the frequency. Also, with the physics, its obvious that muggle theories are kicked to hell with magic. So, there could be things like the gravitational effects of certain spells, or what effect 0Gs has on a spell.

 

i was going to suggest a spell, but that would kind of negate the point in the rank of potions MAster, apart from them being Expert Potions brewers.

If the frequency could only be felt through specific techniques that need to be taught, then the Guild of Potions Masters (hehehehe) may keep these techniques a secret, meaning that there is a purpose in the name of Potion Master

 

Okay, that makes more sense. With the physics, there could also be ways theories for how air resistence could effect certain spells. And also, with magical biology, there could be, like certain things for where the physical representation of the magical core is. Like an organ that isn't usually there in non-magical organisms, but is there in magical organisms. Or you could just give that job to the appendix, cause we dont know what it is really for.

 

At one level, science is just testing things so that you can reliably duplicate results. So potions brewing is a science.

What you're talking about seems more like potions theory, where the question is whether there is some way to derive potions recipes besides trial and error.

My (completely made up) guess is that in the equivilent to Magical Chemistry you learn that molecules have both a physical structure and a magical structure, and developing potions requires that you account for how both interact. If the magical structure is somehow only accessible to wizards, then that would explain why muggles can't make potions (because if they can, it makes no sense that they haven't developed it).

I think you could do a lot with magic and just regular old physics. For example, you could precisely test the amount of force that somebody's shield spell can withstand, then compare that to how many (say) stunners it can absorb, and derive from that the amount of energy contained in a stunner.

To me the interesting theoretical question is whether magic blows the second law of thermodynamics all to hell.

 

You mean conservation of energy? Well, I think that it completely defies the Law of Conservation of Energy, and the Law of Conservation of Matter as well. I once saw this one story that said conjuration was just transfiguring air into what you wanted, because its impossible to just create matter. But, magic would defy the Law of Matter, so cunjuration would be completely possible. And for conservation of energy, well, thats assuming that magic actually uses energy.

With your chemistry theory, that is reasonable. Like there could be a magical atomic structure and a non-magical atomic structure. Also, like sodium and water, some magical things dont work as well. And for muggles not inventing the potions, it would help that they could even GET the ingredients necessary to make the potions.

 

Do all of the potions have magical components? If that's the case, then you could actually explain potions as being designed to take advantage of "super-molecules"--that is, ordinary chemical molecules bound together by magic in unique ways. That would explain why they're always dealing with raw animal parts (contrast with most chemistry classes supplying you with pure chemicals).

 

My question is this: Why aren't we ending people into space with bubblehead charms and never ending supplies of every-flavored-jellybeans?

 

I dont like the idea of rationalizing magic like that. You have to feel magic! Sure you can cast a spell and get the same results but for it to work perfectly you have to feel the magic, let it become one with you. The same thing would apply to potion brewing, while you brew your magic influences the potion. Thats also the reason why not everybody can be a potions master. Sure, for simple potions its enough to mix some ingredients together, but when you are a master at potions brewing you have to love your art and concentrate your very beeing into it. Sure you have to know which ingredients to use but there is much more to it.

 

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Or in other words, just because we can't explain it NOW doesn't mean it can't be explained by science in the future. Maybe it's something like in Star Wars, something in the blood gives you power or (more likely) those small parts of the brain we don't know the functions of will be used to explain it.