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Explaining Magic, part 2


Silly Druid

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As previously established, I need something that makes magic special, that allows it to bypass a physical limitation that normally applies. And I think the best choice for that limitation is the second law of thermodynamics. It states that in a closed system (and the entire universe is a closed system) the amount of entropy (which can be understood as disorder) must remain the same or (more likely) increase. It also means that some processes are very easy in one direction of time, and very hard or impossible in the opposite direction.

A good example is breaking things - it's easy to do, but making them whole again can be very difficult. And we have just this in the show - after Flurry Heart breaks the Crystal Heart, it is made whole again using magic. It can also explain some standard spells often seen in video games, like healing (mending the body is the reverse process of injuring it), or a fireball spell (heat tends to dissipate over time, so concentrating it in one place is the reverse process of it).

There is also an unexpected implication of this interpretation of magic when we consider some things Discord does. In "Make New Friends But Keep Discord" he does something that looks like a time-reversed version of washing the dishes. Normally washing the dishes increases the overall entropy, so the reverse process should decrease it. Which leads us to the conclusion that Discord is actually the one that brings order to the world!

Next week I'll propose a crazy physical theory that makes it all possible.

Edited by PawelS

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Sorry, but that is a overly simplistic view of entropy and confuses people. It is a pet peeve of mine. It's not really disorder on a macro scale.  Are you saying making dishes dirty decreases entropy?

I also am not a fan of explaining magic with science. People pick easy things like fireballs. But what about time travel, or duplication, or raise dead?

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It has to be science in the fictional world. Obviously the laws of physics work differently in that universe and allow for what we call "magic", but to the characters it is just another branch of science.

Someone had to create each spell and teach them to others (or write them down). Some spells may have been created by accident (just like some inventions in the real world were created almost by accident), but the more complicate spells had to be created on purpose as a result of research. 

If you can write it down and teach it to others, then it means the spell is consistent in its results. If the spell results are completely arbitrary depending on the ingredients used (A, B, C, D, E, F,G gives you what you want, but replacing E with H results in something completely different), then nobody would really be able to figure out anything other than the simplest spells. So, IMO, it means that the spells are not completely arbitrary and you can "refine" them to get the desired results. Sounds like science to me.

On 2021-12-02 at 2:49 AM, Merry Brony 42 said:

People pick easy things like fireballs. But what about time travel, or duplication, or raise dead?

The laws of physics work differently in the fictional universe. Also, raising the dead could probably be achieved as part of reducing entropy (rebuilding their cell etc). Science fiction shows also have time travel or raising the dead and those are usually "explained" by some kind of technobabble.

On 2021-12-02 at 2:49 AM, Merry Brony 42 said:

Are you saying making dishes dirty decreases entropy?

Washing dishes increases overall entropy (because of the second law), id discord can "undo" the process, he would reduce entropy. If he just puts new dirt on the dishes, then no.

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The show was pretty loose with its magic definitions, especially after Josh Haber wrote the episodes. Like "time travel", and how powerful Starlight Glimmer was all of a sudden. The actual magic Discord had or didn't have (like the powers of Grogar's bell), the Crystal Empire (the heart, emotions, etc), the "baby" (laser beams are powerful weapons, why can't all unicorns do them all the time? What is so special about a baby shooting them?), and all that, was just really odd in my opinion. I would have liked some more defined rules, and no deus ex machina plot points.

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@Merry Brony 42 I'd like to know more about your view of entropy. As for more complex spells, I didn't say the only thing magic does is breaking the second law. It can also do some other things. Time travel will be addressed in my next entry.

@Pentium100 I agree with everything you said.

@Splashee Yeah, it tends to be a little inconsistent at times. But I don't complain, I generally like the way the magic is portrayed in the show. Also the fact that not everything is completely explained gives some room for fan theories, like mine.

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