Does magic have a higher purpose?

[Kpmagic]

These are some notes I tapped out in my iPhone. Hope they are an insoiration to somebody.

Since magic is deceptive, can it serve a higher purpose? One thing I tell ppl after a trick is "I never claimed this was supernatural and I never claimed to not mislead you." The strange ambiguity of this phrase leaves it open for interpretation, appearing to be coming clean or misleading about coming clean. It is now up to them to decide if my feat was real or fake. And just bc they cant find an explanation does not mean it doesnt have one. This is how i avoid deliberately giving ppl a false belief in supernatural powers.

The higher purpose comes in when you consider that the magician is creating something new, something they've never seen before or he's never shown before, while novelty (new things) has always been the motivating force behind life and existence, you go to see a movie bc it is new or that game bc it is new. You cant eat the same foods all the time, you need new foods. philosophers seek out new ideas. Novelty drives our actions; to create or witness something new. Your either creating it or witnessing it when someone else created it. That is your life.
So creating something new out of nothing but your creativity is a higher purpose since it gives rise to novelty which is the very thing that gives us an experience of life, and let's not forget that it inspires innovation period. A software designer inspired by a magic trick, in awe at the creative genius that devised it, might go that extra mile when devising new ideas for computers, with his boosted confidence in his own creative ability. Next thing you know we have a new piece of technology.
So considering all these things, i'd have to say magic does serve a higher purpose.

 

[Craig Browning]

At first glance I'd have to say that you're thinking far too much. . . complicating the simple as Vernon used to say.

The "higher purpose" behind magic depends on the performer, some of us have multiple tiers of higher purpose; the amusement in and of its own merits, the moral behind the story we tell and the psychological/even spiritual elements that come from that combination. Which brings me to another point about your post; seems that you're being too linear in your thinking -- to "logical" if you would. When you start breaking magic down you make it complicated which it isn't; simple or "less" means "more".

Creating a Higher Purpose around your magic is a matter of perspective; some will do shows based on their religious convictions while others use it to educated the public on fraud or theft (pick-pockets), both of which are a Higher Purpose just as the environmental and say no to drugs type school shows are a thing of greater import because of the message embedded into the show material.

Much of my own material is designed so as to help others see green pasture, so to speak, where they are only seeing grey clouds at present; this is especially true when it comes to people dealing with their "handicapps" for the first time. I remember when I was first introduced to my chair and the head-trip that ultimately sat in about how that device was going to be a very intimate part of my life there on out; it's not an easy hurdle to jump, but I've developed ways to help people realize that life goes on and they can still contribute to society in some way; they are still viable individuals. But I do similar lessons at the psychological/Spiritual level as well, helping people to recognize and claim their own power in life, power that they have somehow surrendered along the way and in some instances, a power they've never known due to an oppressive parent or abusive treatment of another kind when young.

As you can see, there are many ways for Magic to have a Higher Purpose but it is up to the performer and how he/she designs their presentation and what their personal goals are as an entertainer & human being.

You may want to look up the handful of discussions we've had here and @ the Ellusionist forums about Urban Shamanism and reprise of the mystic image in magic, they may shine a brighter light on this question of yours.

 

[Kpmagic]

Yes I agree already w the points you made. I was just presenting one way in which it can have purpose.

 

[Steerpike]

Totally honest, this struck me as a particularly pretentious way of trying to make your point. Especially the idea of inspiring new technologies. I'm inclined to believe that PCs were invented not because of a card trick, but because some engineers realized that it was a way to make work more efficient.

Look, no one is more down with the arts than me. But if we're being honest with ourselves, artists have a really bad habit of making our work far more complicated than it needs to be and trying to pass it off as a secret language that only we understand. You want to know why people love magic? Two reasons.

1. We like mysteries. Mysteries are fun.
2. We hate being bored. The smarter the species, the more they hate being bored.

In fact, right there I made it more complicated than I had to. I could have just used the second reason alone and my point would still be perfectly valid. Even I'm not immune!

To put it bluntly, I don't believe great art comes from novelty. It results from having something interesting to say. Compare Neil Gaiman to Nicolas Sparks. Peter Gabriel to Ke$ha. Rod Serling to Diablo Cody. David Cronenberg to Tyler Perry.

 

[Randy]

As the old saying goes from "Eddie and The Cruisers." It's not about setting the world on fire, it's about playing the music.

 

[Craig Browning]

Totally honest, this struck me as a particularly pretentious way of trying to make your point. Especially the idea of inspiring new technologies I'm inclined to believe that PCs were invented not because of a card trick, but because some engineers realized that it was a way to make work more efficient.

Sorry, but they failed when it comes to making things "more efficient". . . I see that daily; not just with the headaches I've had this past year with my PC but the frustrated cashier at the store or bank teller and so the list grows. I can't even fathom the number of times I've had to deal with Phone company "robots" wanting you to press this number or that number for 20 minutes. . . far from an "improvement" or "efficiency" . . . unless your the business owner that wants to cut the work force . . . using this system means you don't have to pay living, breathing operators, which were far more efficient but not cost effective to the company. . . THIS is what is meant by the term "efficiency" when it comes to most of the technological advancements we've seen over the past 150 years or so. The goals center on corporate advantages far more than social. . . just look at the energy situation.

Sorry, but I really had to rail over this. . .

 

[Steerpike]

Sorry, but I really had to rail over this. . .

Efficient is a relative term after all. And there's a reason I didn't use the word "effective" instead.