Identifying with Muggles in Potterverse WAS: Re: DD at th...

[Ken Hutchinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 158250

> 
> Quick_Silver: 

> I agree that Hogwart's focus on the pragmatic is 
> unfortunate (to me the biggest failing is the joke that's called 
> History of Magic). The Sciences are an interesting topic however 
> especially since JK and Hermione stated that technology
specifically 
> computers, radar, and (correct me if I'm wrong) electricity don't 
> work around heavy concentrations of magic (like Hogwarts). So I 
> don't think that the Sciences have the same "cross-over" value as 
> the Humanities (Human is right there in the name!) or Math (which I 
> agree the wizards suffer a lack of
maybe JK too) or History for that 
> matter. 
>  

Ken:

JKR and Hermione may both say the electricty doesn't work at Hogwarts
but the hard science fiction reader in me cannot accept this. Human
beings like all the higher animals have nervous systems that run on
electricity. The neurons in your brain that are firing right now as
you read these words and form your scathing rebuttal to me are little
electronic devices. Your brain is a natural elecronic computer. For
that matter the chemical reactions that enable the Hogwarts plants to
grow and the Hogwarts students to digest their lovely treacle tarts
are moderated by electromagnetism. The life we know is impossible
without electricity as we know it. Radio waves transmitted by the BBC
differ from the starlight that Hogwarts students observe from
Astronomy Tower only in frequency. To disrupt one is to disrupt the other.

I can accept that Hogwarts is cloaked from the outside world by
magical means. I don't accept the explanation that is given for this,
it is impossible. But I don't require that it be explained fully
either. Douglas Adams doesn't *really* explain how his Infinite
Improbability Drive works, Larry Niven doesn't *really* explain how
his Quantum Hyperdrive works. All they give are vague handwaving
theories about them which don't truly explain but which don't
contradict known physics either. Generally the magic in HP can be
viewed in the same way but in the specific case of the protection at
Hogwarts the story got a little bit too detailed to be believable.
This reader would have been happier with a vague answer than with a
detailed answer that can't work. A hard SF author could probably come
up with satisfying handwaving theories to explain most of what Rowling
depicts and she hasn't generally done a bad job of this herself. It's
just that in a few cases like this one I have to grit my teeth and
read on.

Hogwarts students need a science education as much as anyone else.
Magic in the Potterverse has to be viewed as an extension of ordinary
physics not a denial of it. A science program that only teaches
astronomy can hardly give students the breadth that they need and if
you divorce it from other disciplines you can do at best a poor job of
teaching astronomy.  These books represent an opportunity to influence
young minds that dwarfs the expectations that anyone had at the
release of the first book. In a way it is a huge missed opportunity to
omit cultural classes at Hogwarts and a tighter tie between magic and
science because these features could have inspired young reader's
interest in these fields.

Ken