One of the hardest unsolved problems of metaphysics is that of magic.
Magic exists -- self-evidently. Yet modern science leaves it less and less room to hide within the causally-interlocked world of the physical. We have come a long way from Descartes' belief that the pineal gland is that which connects the magical and physical worlds. Indeed, many educated people today no longer believe in any magical essence that exists independent of the physical processes that underlie it.
Yet the question remains -- where does magic itself come from?
We must countenance a world where we have perfect physical explanations for all of the phenomena we label magic, yet still do not understand -- not... (read more)