Is it possible to believe in science and magic?
Yay
Side Score: 15
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Nay
Side Score: 7
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2
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Possible, but probably not common. Belief in science necessitates faith in systematic methods of gathering knowledge, while, because whatever magic is would fall strictly outside the purview of the reproducible and evidential, its believers would have very different epistemic standards for truth--or maybe be less concerned about "truth" in general. Of course, there would be nothing stopping them from compartmentalizing types of knowledge/pursuits, but that requires maturity of uncommon development. Side: Yay
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It's a fun idea to entertain the idea of artifice, the mix of science and magic. But that is purely fiction. Though, outside fiction, belief in magic and adherence to science is not out of the question. Magic cannot be reproduced, so belief in it is as simple as belief in any other religion. Now, is it impossible for someone to have a religious belief and still be a swell scientist? Of course. So then why would someone believing in magic mean that they cannot, at least, believe in the efficiency of science? Side: Yay
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2
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Science is not about knowing. Science is about believing. It just has a more logical train of conjecture then "I do not know, therefore deities." If science was about knowing, then it would be impossible to nullify hypothesis, but we already know this is not true. The only scientific discoveries around that are empirically true are laws, and they are very few and very old. Otherwise, though, science is about using a logical train of thought to convince yourself and others through use of proof that a hypothesis is true... which ultimately involves a lot of belief that the proof is empirical and the results are accurate. The only reason scientific laws are considered empirically true is because scientists over the course of CENTURIES have all been able to reproduce the results of scientific laws, thus proving throughout the the test of time that they are true. But for most science, this is not the case. Side: Yay
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If someone did something using magic it would just be some technology that mainstream science does not understand or explain. Therefore it would be science, just not understood. I say no on the basis that magic can't exist. Science is the study of cause and effect, which is what magic would be. Side: Nay
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