[malakhi]

How is this different from science?

Because science WORKS, and it's repeatable !

That's my point: magic in the fictional world of Harry Potter is equivalent to science in the real world. There is nothing inherently good or evil in gravity or the second law of thermodynamics. Technology is not inherently good or evil. Guns are not inherently good or evil. It depends upon how they are used. In the HP books, magic is the same way.

[js1138]

That's my point: magic in the fictional world of Harry Potter is equivalent to science in the real world. There is nothing inherently good or evil in gravity or the second law of thermodynamics. Technology is not inherently good or evil. Guns are not inherently good or evil. It depends upon how they are used. In the HP books, magic is the same way.

There is a point in there that I agree with. I always thought of Harry Potter as a metaphor for the gifted child lifted out of a dismal home by an appreciative school. The fact that he is an orphan bypasses any implied criticism of parents. And Rowling's magic is a parody of science. It has nothing to do with actual witchcraft, nor do children mistake it for such.

[jimt]

That's my point: magic in the fictional world of Harry Potter is equivalent to science in the real world. There is nothing inherently good or evil in gravity or the second law of thermodynamics. Technology is not inherently good or evil. Guns are not inherently good or evil. It depends upon how they are used. In the HP books, magic is the same way.

You are exactly correct. That's a more subtle point than what I thought you were saying.

What I was responding to was that some folks don't believe magic to be fictional. If it isn't fictional, I will pay handsomely for winning Texas Lottery numbers - say up to 95%.