Magic, science, transmogrification, techno-organic mutation- the magic of the double helix or the science of the Spirit, does it really matter? I guess not, but as the moon wanes, I tend to wax philosophical. Perhaps Arthur C. Clarke, a master of speculative fiction, said it best: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” And the best- selling series involving the boy wizard, Harry Potter, has a magic all its own.
Have you ever wondered if Fluffy, the three-headed dog, could be explained by molecular genetics? Is Harry’s invisibility cloak a scientific possibility? If you have, then The Science of Harry Potter by Roger Highfield should be on your reading table. He has interviewed the world’s best Muggle scientists for scientific explanations behind everything from the “Nimbus 2000” to “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.”
Science? In the Harry Potter books? Yes, according to Roger Highfield. Although there is no explicit science in Harry Potter, there is good evidence that the boundary between science and magic is blurred at Hogwarts, as was once the case in the Muggle world. Highfield uses the world of Harry Potter as an introduction to an interesting foray into genetics, folklore, mythology, game theory, quantum mechanics, and even Jungian archetypes. The book is divided into two parts.
The first half of the book is a “super secret study” of everything that happens in the Hogwarts School, from the origins of Quidditch to apparating. It’s obvious that the author is a big fan of the Harry Potter books, and this is a great way of introducing the “magical world of science” to children, laymen and fans of the series. The author does use the mythos of Harry Potter as more of a back drop, and doesn’t explore Harry Potter’s world in any great detail, so he does tend to get off topic as many Phds are prone to do. Devoted fans should take note, that if you find yourself of a highly fantastical and romantic nature, you may not want to spoil the magic by possible scientific explanations. The book is a spring board for Highfield’s discussions on science and philosophy, and not focus on the characters of Harry Potter.
The second half of the book is an endeavor to show the origins of magical thinking. The author delves into the birth of superstition, the magic of chance, the power of illusion, witchcraft and mythical beasts. For the ancient mind, magic may have restored a much needed sense of predictability and safety. Primitive magic was a means of seeking connections in nature, as a way to understand and manipulate the natural world.
For example, nothing is more important to an agrarian society than having a good crop. Weather prediction methods are examples of how magic can turn into science, once it has been validated by experiment. For hundreds of years, the Incas used the heavens for long range weather forecasting by observing the brightness of the Pleiades, a cluster of stars that they worshipped. They linked brighter star, which meant clearer skies, to earlier and more abundant rainfall.
Cultural anthropologists have yet to find any society that does not have a long-standing and elaborate system of paranormal beliefs. In this respect, our society is no different from supposedly primitive cultures. Many readers consult their horoscope every morning with their coffee. Athletes won’t play the big game without their lucky socks, and I can’t start the new Harry Potter until I go back and read the previous six….
I think there really are places like Hogwarts, full of impossible wonders, strange creatures and eccentric characters. They’re called laboratories, but I think I’ll still keep my fingers crossed and knock on wood until the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, arrives safely in our local bookstore July 21…
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