the Law of Contagion holds that two things which have interacted, or were once part of a single entity, retain their connection and can exert influence over each other; the Law of Similarity holds that things which are similar or treated the same establish a connection and can affect each other.
Are there any relationships between two physical objects that are neither interactions nor similarities? If not, these two laws boil down two “things which are related can influence each other”, which is a true statement. It is as reasonable to generalize this rule as it is to generalize any rule, until you have a more specific rule (e.g. “things which are capable of sending and receiving known types of waves to each other across the span separating them can influence each other”) that does not generalize the same way.
Are there any relationships between two physical objects that are neither interactions nor similarities?
Simple proximity (my pillow and the blinds on my window are not similar and don’t interact, but they’re about six inches apart at the moment). Co-use (my serving fork and my jar of minced garlic have no apparent similarities and may never directly interact, but they are both involved when I make certain foods). Having both come into contact with the same thing (I have touched both my shoes and my computer, which are dissimilar and haven’t interacted).
I’m guessing, then, that proximity, co-use, and common contact do not generally establish magical connections between things, unlike direct interaction and similarity.
Are there any relationships between two physical objects that are neither interactions nor similarities? If not, these two laws boil down two “things which are related can influence each other”, which is a true statement. It is as reasonable to generalize this rule as it is to generalize any rule, until you have a more specific rule (e.g. “things which are capable of sending and receiving known types of waves to each other across the span separating them can influence each other”) that does not generalize the same way.
Simple proximity (my pillow and the blinds on my window are not similar and don’t interact, but they’re about six inches apart at the moment). Co-use (my serving fork and my jar of minced garlic have no apparent similarities and may never directly interact, but they are both involved when I make certain foods). Having both come into contact with the same thing (I have touched both my shoes and my computer, which are dissimilar and haven’t interacted).
I’m guessing, then, that proximity, co-use, and common contact do not generally establish magical connections between things, unlike direct interaction and similarity.
Not according to the laws described in the post, no. Of course there are probably magical systems that invoke some or all of those relationships.