Science doesn't claim to explain everything. Just the opposite. Science is about asking questions, trying to find out new things that haven't been explained yet. The problem with the media depiction of science is that it paints it as a closed-minded dogma that's hostile to new ideas. And that is an outright lie. Science doesn't deny the things it can't yet explain, it eagerly pursues them in order to find explanations for them. That's its whole purpose.
And yes, in a putative universe where magical or supernatural phenomena existed, those phenomena would be part of that universe's natural laws, in the same way that quantum physics is part of our universe's laws. And therefore in such a universe science could coexist with magic, or rather could embrace magic as a part of the reality it observed and codified. "Supernatural" is a bogus word, because everything that exists in the universe is part of nature by definition. If there were magic in a particular universe, it would be natural, a part of the physics of that universe, not a separate thing. And science could therefore observe, measure, and codify it. Science is not a body of facts or beliefs; it's a process for comprehending what exists. And that process can be applied to anything that exists. If a universe contains magic and a society in that universe invents the scientific method, then there will be a science of magic, and it will allow magic to be understood and harnessed better than it could be if it were just trial and error without the observational rigor and deductive power of science.
What Kaldur said about attending the Academy of Sorcery seemed to be pointing in this direction. It implies that Atlantis does have a science of magic, that it's not just treated as woo-woo arcane mystery. That's why I'm so disappointed that Wally's closed-mindedness was not called out as a misunderstanding of how science is supposed to work.
Wally should have been called out for another reason. Even if everything he said was 100% true, the nature of his origin sounds more like magic. Getting zapped with random chemicals and electricity and developing otherwise-unexplained powers as a result isn't "science". Even by his definition.
Again, science isn't facts and results, it's a process of inquisition and analysis. Wally said that he replicated the event that gave Barry Allen his powers and achieved the same result. That is science, the process by which unexplained phenomena are studied in pursuit of understanding them. Wally demonstrated that the event that gave the Flash his powers was replicable, that the same conditions would produce the same result in an independent trial. That doesn't provide total understanding of it, but it demonstrates that it is understandable, that because it is replicable and consistent, further research could answer more questions about it.
How often do we see news reports about scientific discoveries of new phenomena we've barely begun to understand? The fact that we haven't found the answers yet doesn't mean it isn't science. It means it's one step in the scientific process: Observe and experiment, get results, extrapolate theories from those results, test those theories by further observation and experiment, repeat indefinitely. It can take decades to derive a full understanding of a mysterious phenomenon, but the process has to begin somewhere.
Asking questions is science. Rejecting new knowledge is not science. This is what most mainstream fiction writers portraying science fail to understand.
Good point. Yes, I know the real definition of science, but I was envisioning the original stories in which both Flash origins (I think) were supposed to be pure accident. As such, they were implied to invoke Unknown Forces Beyond Our Understanding, about which no research was done, no controlled conditions can replicate, etc.
However, on the show, I overlooked that Wally referred to it as an experiment, not an accident. That does make it science.
Personally I thought this was a really good episode. In fairness, a very big part of that was Kent Nelson and Fate - the JSA fan in me thought that was great, and it might be the best Fate adaptation I've seen onscreen (certainly it sticks with the "Nabu is the real force behind the helmet" theme). Ed Asner's Kent and the Fate voice mix was great.
Closemindedness aside, Wally was far less obnoxious than usual, and I think having Artemis is really good for the team. Connor, Kaldur and M'Gann got very little to do this week which was a shame - and I was surprised the team minus Wally was so easily taken by Abra Kadabra - so hopefully they get more going forward. Also, and this may be odd, but I thought the lack of costumes actually was a benefit in this case - especially for Wally.
Setting up the Lords of Chaos vs. Lords of Order makes me wonder if we might see Hawk and Dove somewhere down the line?
I am a bit confused - when Kent said he would stay with Fate until Wally found a new host, I assumed he would be somehow revived and act as Fate, but the end of the episode, it's just the helmet again. So why's Kent sticking around with Nabu?
Well, unless Atlantis' Academy of Sorcery treats magic more as an art form than a pure science.
Closemindedness aside, Wally was far less obnoxious than usual, and I think having Artemis is really good for the team. Connor, Kaldur and M'Gann got very little to do this week which was a shame - and I was surprised the team minus Wally was so easily taken by Abra Kadabra - so hopefully they get more going forward. Also, and this may be odd, but I thought the lack of costumes actually was a benefit in this case - especially for Wally.
Setting up the Lords of Chaos vs. Lords of Order makes me wonder if we might see Hawk and Dove somewhere down the line?
I am a bit confused - when Kent said he would stay with Fate until Wally found a new host, I assumed he would be somehow revived and act as Fate, but the end of the episode, it's just the helmet again. So why's Kent sticking around with Nabu?
Well, unless Atlantis' Academy of Sorcery treats magic more as an art form than a pure science.
Presumably in a future episode some member of the YJ will use the helmet again and Nabu will try to possess him/her. Kent Nelson will probably be the one to restrain Nabu. Just a chekhov gun waiting to be fired really.
Weisman likes to set things up, so we can definitely expect to see the helmet relevant in at least one coming episode again.
Speaking of setting things up, I noticed that in the opening scene with Madame Xanadu, after Kent Nelson exposed her as a charlatan and a nonbeliever, he said, "A pity. You have the perfect aura for the work." And none of her tricks explained how her eyes glowed. I think Nelson was hoping to recruit her to become Dr. Fate's new host. And I think we'll see her again.
I looked Mme. Xanadu up on the DC Database, and I see that in the comics she's an immortal ex-sorceress (Nimue, in fact) who was stripped of her powers and became sort of an advisor to other mystical characters. It doesn't seem like this version of the character has the same background. Unless she's forgotten it. Weisman drew on Arthurian lore a lot in Gargoyles, so could he pass up the chance to use Nimue?
I looked Mme. Xanadu up on the DC Database, and I see that in the comics she's an immortal ex-sorceress (Nimue, in fact) who was stripped of her powers and became sort of an advisor to other mystical characters. It doesn't seem like this version of the character has the same background. Unless she's forgotten it. Weisman drew on Arthurian lore a lot in Gargoyles, so could he pass up the chance to use Nimue?
I was a little disappointed that she turned out to be a charlatan, but I didn't notice the eye-glowing thing. Still, I did catch the aura reference and I do expect to see her again.
Did anyone notice how her accent suddenly disappeared after he exposed her?
I'm still trying to figure out why Klarion even needed Kadabra's help. Mrs. Silvercrest thinks Klarion was afraid to come in direct contact with Kent or his stick.
Did anyone notice how her accent suddenly disappeared after he exposed her?
I'm still trying to figure out why Klarion even needed Kadabra's help. Mrs. Silvercrest thinks Klarion was afraid to come in direct contact with Kent or his stick.
Klarion seemed like a lazy brat, the sort of person who'd rather get others to do stuff for him than be forced to do any actual work of his own. Besides, if Nelson proved more formidable a foe than expected, surely Klarion would rather let someone else take the blows while he stood back and watched from safety.
I was a little disappointed that she turned out to be a charlatan, but I didn't notice the eye-glowing thing. Still, I did catch the aura reference and I do expect to see her again.
Did anyone notice how her accent suddenly disappeared after he exposed her?
I'm still trying to figure out why Klarion even needed Kadabra's help. Mrs. Silvercrest thinks Klarion was afraid to come in direct contact with Kent or his stick.
It's possible Nelson would have sensed a powerful magical force, and avoided it. Using Kadabra allowed Klarion to get his hands on Nelson where Klarion himself would have failed.
Just two episodes in March
Last two weeks of March are the premiere again
April 1st it's pre-empted
April 8th is unclear at this time. I HOPE they won't air the entire first 7 episodes again!
Last two weeks of March are the premiere again
April 1st it's pre-empted
April 8th is unclear at this time. I HOPE they won't air the entire first 7 episodes again!
Did I miss something, or was there really no episode airing this week?
Good. Would have hated to have missed an episode this early on (and, of course, missing any episode on a Weisman series is bad).
Thanks for the quick reply.
Thanks for the quick reply.
