That is true presupposing that the technology behind lisp is sufficiently inscrutable to make it magic-like.<p>Fortunately for us, lisp is probably the exact opposite of a magic-like programming language. All you are doing is composing lists of symbols into trees of symbols and then executing them. It is stupidly simple.<p>Saying that lisp is magic serves the sole purpose of scaring newbies and spreading the fud that using lisp is a complex, complicated, and difficult. (it is not).