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Do words really not have any "magical" effect? You'd be surprised how much disaster a friggn tweet could lead to. If anything "word magic" has amplified with t
by hnfong 5y ago
Do words really not have any "magical" effect?
You'd be surprised how much disaster a friggn tweet could lead to. If anything "word magic" has amplified with the Internet and communications technology.
It's only "magic" if you don't understand the mechanisms of how things work. And with hindsight, we can say this crap is "magic" because it doesn't work, but they weren't knowledgable enough to tell the difference.
- mnw21cam 5y agoA friggn tweet causes an effect through its influence on people who read it and act based on it. I think what the parent is talking about is words that have an effect on something that isn't mediated by the responses of people who heard them. It's very easy to understand why a friggn tweet has an effect, because there's a clear mechanism behind how it causes that effect. Likewise the power of a witch-doctor is entirely based on how people respond to what they say and do. In contrast, it is extremely hard to rationalise any effect that is caused by "magical" words spoken to a mountain or a tree, because there isn't any part of that mountain or tree that understands the words, or has an ability to act on them.
- hnfong 5y agoI don't know whether this is the "correct" explanation, but I think it's plausible - In a medieval setting, commoners visiting a court might believe courtiers dressed in fancy clothes and speaking in Latin were doing magic and performing spells. They might have no idea how things like law and government works. If those kinds of magic worked, why wouldn't magic on mountains or trees work? Especially if you were taught by wise people from the church that invisible spirits definitely existed.