'Magic and War'
(I gave my SVA students a final in-class essay topic - the relationship, if any, between war and magic. We read Tournier's The Ogre, which I have always thought is a critical text for understanding the semiotics of history and violence. In any case, below is my summary of the essays, which you might find interesting. The class, on magic, art, symbolism, modernism, and a bit of science, was great to teach - I learned a lot myself of course.) War 'magically' wipes out the fundamentals of human morality - it's ok to kill for example. The fury of modern weaponry in WWII and beyond appears magical. War may appear surreal to soldiers, almost magical, as if they're living through someone else. There have been mysterious disappearances of soldiers in war, which frightened minds think may be the result of ghosts. Children's play and nationalism produce magical feelings which may be enacted out in war. Wars magically transform people, who almost magically seem to lose their minds. Wars may be fought over magical phenomena like witchcraft. Sun Tzu speaks of deception in war, which is similar to magic; the battle-field becomes a stage. The truth of war is (magical) fantasy that must be told over and over again. War propaganda affects people almost magically, if it is successful. Magicians and soldiers have common traits. The violence of war destroys beliefs in a magical world. The threat of war creates a desperate need for magical escapism. War and magic are like Yin and Yang. Magical disappearing acts and slaughter in war are related; both alter human lives. The outcome of war is permanent, the outcome of magic may well be temporary. War is fundamentally scientific, magic is not - they're two sides of the same coin. The magic of war is the power it has over everyone. The magic of war is the power that the people in charge have over other people's lives. The magic of war is the illusion of hope that it gives, and the illusory magical powers the leaders seem to have. War gives people hope, and that is magical, but it is the magic of evil. Warfare is uncanny because soldiers don't have a say in what they're fighting for. Armies are weird, and armies and at times war can benefit people who enlist; this weirdness touches on the magical. The darkest magic is when wars are planned by individuals who see soldiers as tools or targets. Taking symbols literally, pushing them into the arena of war, is horrifying magic. The Great Wall of China, built to protect the Chinese Empire, is the locus of magical stories. Dogmatic religion and opposing theologies lead to war; religions eventually provoke violence. There is nothing magical about war's deaths and destruction; war is tragic, stupid, and depressing. Magic is a false sense of realism, but through war, dead is dead. Both magic and war are hard to explain and experience. Bravery is magical when soldiers fight against impossible odds and superior weapons. Wargames on computer, like World of Warcraft, are inherently magical; the battles use spells and other things not found in real war. For some, war can be a time of magical thinking and escapism; it can lead people to think in extremes. War may enable some people to experience an alternative reality, a different way of being than they have in their normal lives. _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
