Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 201 Proof of the Theory of the Cognition of Magic

"At its core, it is what I just mentioned: observe, summarize, revise, then observe again, summarize again, and revise again. It is a method of understanding the world, and no matter what the world is like, as long as it has rules and can be understood, we can use this method to understand it."

"Idealism doesn't mean the world is incomprehensible; it simply places the spiritual before the material. But the methodology of science doesn't presuppose any worldview. In fact, in the teacher's understanding, science doesn't care whether the world is materialistic or idealistic."

Is magic a matter of idealism?

"Perhaps. But is there any pattern to it?"

"Obviously yes."

"We can even prove this logically."

"We can make an assumption."

"Suppose that magic is entirely idealistic and has no rules whatsoever, and that our minds are completely above the material world, then this world can be arbitrarily changed because of our magic."

"If the assumption is true, then magic is a kind of unlimited wish-granting machine."

"But this creates a contradiction: with so many people who possess magic, whose wishes should this wish-granting machine grant?"

"Every wizard's wish must be fulfilled, but what if wishes conflict?"

"What criteria are used to judge the rules for winning a conflict?"

"Without this rule, wishes would conflict, preventing some people's wishes from being fulfilled. Magic would not be an unlimited wish-granting machine, it could not completely transcend the material world, and it would not be entirely spiritual."

"And if such a rule exists, then its existence proves that magic is not entirely without rules."

"In a completely idealistic and unpredictable magical world, there is only one possibility: there is only one spirit in this world, and we and everything we know are products of that great spirit."

"But this leads to a conclusion: we are all matter. We, Hermione, Tom, I, Murphy, all of us individuals, and everything in the universe, are extensions of that great spirit; we are all matter born from it. Therefore, we must also follow the rules it has set for matter."

"You see, no matter what, this world has comprehensible rules. These rules may be incomplete, but they must exist."

"If you believe magic is idealistic, then its idealism only manifests at its most fundamental level. Within the 99.99% of its apparent scope, it still operates according to its own rules."

"By using scientific methodologies, we can study the rules within this 99.99% region and incorporate them into our own system."

After Murphy finished speaking, he looked at the two children and asked, "Did you understand?"

"I think I understand some of it, but there's still a lot I don't understand..." Hermione said.

Murphy smiled. "Knowing a little is enough. I'll teach you slowly, and once you get used to using this methodology to observe the world, you'll discover its simplicity and clarity."

"You'll find that judging whether something is true is very simple. It doesn't require so many mysterious concepts. Observing things, summarizing patterns, and correcting patterns—our understanding of the world is just such a simple process."

"Alright, we've strayed from the topic. Let's get back to the magic wand."

"You just said you think wands are like antennas," Murphy said, looking at Hermione. "So, what function do you think they should serve for wizards?"

"Amplify...magic?" Hermione guessed.

"Great, could you be more specific?"

"Can a wand enhance or amplify a wizard's projected magic?"

"Excellent!" Murphy snapped his fingers. "So how do we verify this? Can you design an experiment?"

The idea is very simple; even Tom, who isn't very familiar with antennas, could figure it out: "Have the wizard hold a wand or not, and test the amount of magic power."

"That's great!" Murphy looked at Tom. "Miss Granger has a solid foundation in association and basic common sense, but your reasoning ability is quite good."

"And reasoning ability, or deductive ability, is another very important method in research methodology, perhaps even the most important one."

As he spoke, he pointed to the support frame again, "This thing is what you called the experiment."

"You've grasped the essence of the experiment, which is to control the key variables. And in the hypothesis we want to verify, the most crucial variable is whether or not the magic wand is used."

"We conducted two experiments. One group held a wand, recited a spell, and cast the spell on the target. The other group did not hold a wand but cast the spell on the target using the same actions and the same spell."

"Then we observed the results of the two sets of experiments."

"Since the only difference between the two sets of experiments is whether or not a magic wand is used, we can use this to verify whether our hypothesis is correct."

"These magic testing devices are used to accurately detect magic power."

"Now do you understand how to study something? Isn't it very simple?"

"Observe... Conjecture... Test..." Tom suddenly felt a sense of clarity in his mind.

It turns out that everything in this world can be so simple.

This seems to be a magic weapon for verifying all the truths of the world!

When he is able to use this method to look at things, those confusing statements and self-contradictory things do not seem so difficult to understand. In this world, it is either black or white, either yes or no. You can constantly revise your theory to get closer to the truth, but there is only one standard for judging whether something is true or not, and that is whether it can be verified by experiments.

Tom was filled with a joy of having heard the truth, and only now did he truly believe the words in the notebook.

I met the person who changed my destiny.

He looked at Murphy. "I understand, teacher."

A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, instructs in skills, and resolves doubts.

This principle alone is enough to benefit him for a lifetime.

"Good, if you understand, come over here," Murphy said. "Hermione, you go and hold that wand, then use your best spells on the target. After this round, Tom will remove the wand, and Hermione will try to cast those spells again using the same posture and spells."

"Tom, come here. I'll teach you how to use this Muggle camera. In a moment, when I say 'start,' Hermione will prepare to cast the spell, and Tom, you need to press this button the instant she finishes the spell."

"Do you understand?"

"Understood, Professor." The two young wizards were now completely convinced by Murphy, feeling as if they were participating in a remarkable project, and were very motivated.

"Yugadimurleviosa!"

"Fluorescent lights!"

"The Arahomon Opens!"

"Completely cleaned up!"

"Fix it immediately!"

A dozen minutes later, Murphy nodded, looked at the girl who was covered in sweat, and handed her a handkerchief. "Incredible, Miss Granger, to have mastered so many spells as a first-year student. And you've never even been exposed to magic before. Amazing."

Then he looked at Tom, who had fallen silent beside him, and said, "Tom, why don't you give it a try? When we do research, the more high-quality data the better."

Tom was encouraged, "Okay."

"Torn apart!"

"Immediately imprison them!"

"Flames are raging!"

"Disarm you!"

……

Wow... Is this kid really going after Hermione? He's going all out right from the start.

(End of this chapter)