Scientists aren’t any harder to fool with magic tricks than anyone else, because the scientific method doesn’t protect them from intentional deception.
STAR WARS was released near the peak of mainstream belief in telekenesis and telepathy. Audiences in 1977 would've understood "the force" to be much closer to a plausibly-existing-in-real-life phenomenon than as a obviously fictional type of in-universe magic
I absolutely believed all this horse sh*t at the time because I was young and read a lot of woo-oriented books and I didn't yet realize that people could just completely lie to you and make up utter horse sh*t in books.
I recently watched the episode on the Tunguska event. Funny how they cite a Russian scientist's theory in the 1920s that it was a meteor exploding in the atmosphere (the modern consensus explanation), then show 1970s woo folks speculating it was a nuclear bomb from aliens. They knew since the 20s.
The Force is based in Taoist beliefs, but no other Taoist I've met think they can do that stuff. Lucas just added in the "magic." I mean, there is definitely magic, but none of the lightning and telekinesis, which sucks btw
Yeah, this is why I'm never a big fan of "Star Wars is fantasy!" arguments, even though I get it. Everything it features is something that has a "science fictional" explanation, no matter how actually unrealistic it is
Man, the 70s (which I grew up in) were something else. Pyramid power, Bigfoot, Bermuda triangle... and yet despite this woo being deeply embedded in pop culture, people got vaccinated and otherwise managed to compartmentalize.
Yes, I remember those ads! IIRC, our experiment involved pieces of fruit & seeing if the power of the pyramid would preserve them longer…I believe the results were inconclusive
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If you want to perfectly feel the vibe, watch the completely non-skeptical "In Search Of" 1970s show
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL76MtjEzwZpw65dXBw24ReJ6VTFqVFh_S
Uri: HE'S OBSESSED WITH ME IT'S SO FUNNY
What an oxymoron