Magic Is More Tolerant of Failure
Little distinction was made between science and magic. They have at least one goal in common: control of the natural world. Magic makes use of observation, systems of classification, even experimentation. But while magic is just as interested in practical results as science is, it is much less interested in discovering and testing causes. It is far more tolerant of failure, partly because its aims are far more grandiose. An alchemist following a recipe for making gold would not complain of a thousand failures if he had one success; a chemist following a recipe for making aspirin demands success each time.
— Richard Smith, Prelude to Science, p. 16
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