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<blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 1605996" data-attributes="member: 3424">I think I've finally figured out what to me is the difference between magic and technology.It is not a question of reliability. You can have reliable magic (werewolves are always harmed by silver), and you can also have unreliable technology (the latest experimental gizmo).It is not a question of mystery or unpredictability. Alien technology and undiscovered laws of science can be every bit as mysterious as magic.&nbsp; Chaos theory and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle tell us that there are some things we can never know or predict.It is not a question of rarity. You can have fantastic settings in which every person has some level of magical ability, and post-apocalyptic worlds where most cultures are savage and technological knowledge and tools are only in the hands of a select few.The difference is a philosophical one. The philosophy of magic is that there are some things that cannot ever be known or discovered. The final answer to questions such as &quot;How does this work?&quot; or &quot;Why is this possible?&quot; is &quot;Because it's magic.&quot;&nbsp; The philosophy of science or technology is that everything can be known and explained. It's the difference between &quot;That's just the way it is.&quot; and &quot;We don't know yet, but we will, someday.&quot;Perhaps because I like closure, and I find stories in which everything is finally explained to be more emotionally satisfying, I lean more towards the &quot;magic as technology&quot; end of the scale. As a player and DM, I don't like campaigns where the dominant theme is &quot;There are mysteries that can never be explained&quot;, and prefer those where the dominant theme is &quot;There are mysteries, but they can be explained if you try hard enough.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FireLance, post: 1605996, member: 3424"] I think I've finally figured out what to me is the difference between magic and technology. It is not a question of reliability. You can have reliable magic (werewolves are always harmed by silver), and you can also have unreliable technology (the latest experimental gizmo). It is not a question of mystery or unpredictability. Alien technology and undiscovered laws of science can be every bit as mysterious as magic. Chaos theory and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle tell us that there are some things we can never know or predict. It is not a question of rarity. You can have fantastic settings in which every person has some level of magical ability, and post-apocalyptic worlds where most cultures are savage and technological knowledge and tools are only in the hands of a select few. The difference is a philosophical one. The philosophy of magic is that there are some things that cannot ever be known or discovered. The final answer to questions such as "How does this work?" or "Why is this possible?" is "Because it's magic." The philosophy of science or technology is that everything can be known and explained. It's the difference between "That's just the way it is." and "We don't know yet, but we will, someday." Perhaps because I like closure, and I find stories in which everything is finally explained to be more emotionally satisfying, I lean more towards the "magic as technology" end of the scale. As a player and DM, I don't like campaigns where the dominant theme is "There are mysteries that can never be explained", and prefer those where the dominant theme is "There are mysteries, but they can be explained if you try hard enough." [/QUOTE]

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