History Main / UnEqualRites

** ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'' has four types of main magic users: Wizards of High Sorcery, Clerics of the gods, Primal Sorcerers, and Mystics. The Wizards do not get along with the Sorcerers a lot of the time because the Wizards see the Sorcerers as infringing on their territory. The relationship between Mystics and Clerics of good deities is more friendly because of the Citadel of Light, which has both Mystics and Clerics working together to help people. Clerics of Neutral and Evil deities view of Mystics often depends on how their deity feels about Mysticism. And Wizards and Clerics sometimes do not get along because a Cleric, the last Kingpriest of Istar, was the one who tried to kill all Wizards on Ansalon prior to the Cataclysm. And since Wizards of High Sorcery are moon-dependent, there are three sorts of ''them'' -- one per Krynnish moon. There's also the "renegade" category, which is where wizards who refuse to acknowledge the authority of the orders of High Sorcery are classified. Mostly, it's a place to file wizardly characters or classes that get imported from other game-settings.

** "[[Recap/TheOwlHouseS1E3IWasATeenageAbomination I Was a Teenage Abomination]]" shows that despite being a prodigy at plant magic, Willow's fathers, who were both apart of the Plant track, initially have her enrolled in the Abomination track (something which she has zero talent in) because they felt that it'd lead to her having better career opportunities when she graduates.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "Bridle Gossip", Twilight Sparkle, who is a student of unicorn magic and SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic, shows a lot of disdain towards things like "curses" that are done "artificially" as opposed to drawing from innate power. She's got a pretty good reason, though, since she thinks they don't work/exist, besides making no sense based on her extensive knowledge of magic. In "Feeling Pinkie Keen", she likewise has a hard time accepting that Pinkie Pie has an innate but weird and completely unanalysable precognitive sense.

** "I Was a Teenage Abomination" shows that despite being a prodigy at plant magic, Willow's fathers, who were both apart of the Plant track, initially have her enrolled in the Abomination track (something which she has zero talent in) because they felt that it'd lead to her having better career opportunities when she graduates.
** "Through the Looking Glass Ruins" shows that some people look down on Illusionist Coven due to their magic being the only one to lack any tangible effects.
** "Them's the Breaks, Kid" shows that at least when Eda was young [[MagicMusic bard magic]] was often considered lame, with Raine lamenting how people don't take them seriously and other students expressing disbelief that a bard is so strong.

-->-- '''[=SPoD=]''', [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6909486&postcount=8 on the Order of the Stick board]]

It's not uncommon to see a lot of rivalry between magicians in a fantasy setting, be it due to academic pride, competitive spirits, or plain envy. This is especially common if the setting has MutuallyExclusiveMagic… and even if it all comes from [[{{Mana}} the same source.]]

Frequently the themes behind the various forms of magic will take one of the various points within FunctionalMagic. Magicians who follow MagicAIsMagicA will be [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic academic, studious, and always "researching"]] new spells. Artistic mages usually have some form of FunctionalMagic that they [[MagicMusic tap into]] in [[MagicDance unconventional ways]]. HermeticMagic practitioners follow ritual like academic magicians but usually ignore the “how” and “why” in favor of theological explanations or even plain old faith. Expect these mages to be on differing sides of HarmonyVersusDiscipline, with some seeking to “control” magic, others to “channel” it, and some to understand and influence it. Conflict between different schools of magic can also be connected to a setting's regional and cultural divides if different communities all follow their own distinct magical traditions.

* Since its world is based on [=DnD=] 3.5 rules, ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has the same examples of this. In ''StartOfDarkness'', Xykon is looked down upon often by wizards for his being a sorcerer, which, naturally, [[BerserkButton pisses him off]]. Since this is Xykon, these people tend not to live much longer. Especially notable when Dorukan is fighting Xykon and at one point asserts the superiority of his wizardry to Xykon's sorcery. [[spoiler:Xykon responds by casting Energy Drain every turn, while giving a BreakingSpeech about the advantages of spontaneous casting.]] At the beginning of ''StartOfDarkness'', Xykon is told that sorcery is like a rubber mallet, whilst wizardry is a finely crafted watch. At the end, Xykon says that he'd much rather have the sledgehammer than the watch.

** The author behind [=OotS=] also wrote a series of articles about world building where he came up with a setting where Druids ended up as the most persecuted class. This is because the dominant church of the setting doesn't want the common people to know that it’s possible for people who don't follow the church's dogma to gain magical abilities. And unlike most settings, Sorcerers are held in high regard because they are born with magic and so are seen as having been blessed by one of the gods.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
** The various books feature Force users who are ''not'' Jedi Knights. They have some very different ideas about what the Force is or how to use it, and some of them have fallen under condemnation from both the Jedi Council and Creator/GeorgeLucas because of it.

* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Weaves of Saidar (female half of the One Power) are shown as white. Weaves of Saidin (male half) are also white, but covered with black tendrils representing the Dark One's corruption. Similar color-coding was in the books for male and female halves of the yin-yang Aes Sedai symbol: white "Flame of Tar Valon" and black "Dragon Fang".

* In Myth/NorseMythology practisioners of Seiðr (a type of shamanic magic) were looked down upon, particularly the men was it was deemed 'unmanly'. Yet civic Norse religion made use of several rituals like casting runes and blóts.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' books feature Force users who are ''not'' Jedi Knights. They have some very different ideas about what the Force is or how to use it, and some of them have fallen under condemnation from both the Jedi Council and Creator/GeorgeLucas because of it.

* ''Literature/TheTravelersGate'': Most Travelers look down on other Territories, but Grandmaster Naraka in particular looks down on Valinhall, dismissing it as an "artificial" Territory that was created a mere sixty years ago. Since Valinhall Travelers are ''very'' good at killing other Travelers, part of this might be simple animal fear.
* ''Literature/VoidDomain'': [[GeometricMagic Rune Magic]] is seen as archaic and outdated by the magical community, and is no longer taught. In practice, it's a BoringButPractical option for easy semi-permanent enchantments, and Eva does a lively trade in selling useful runes. BloodMagic and [[SummoningRitual demon summoning]] are also held in low regard, but for rather more solid reasons: while they're not evil in themselves, an amoral practitioner can get a lot more mileage out of them than someone who won't, for example, rip out people's hearts to make [[BodyToJewel bloodstone]].

* The "War of Illusion" storyline in ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' combines this trope with MagiciansAreWizards, as two factions of stage magicians struggle for dominance.
* Even the most liberal Shapers in ''VideoGame/GeneForge'' will regard Lifecrafters and other rebel Shaping-users as undisciplined savages without the wisdom or discipline to control the vast magical powers that they have learned "the easy way". In this case, they're generally right -- the long, arduous training of a Shaper is as much about teaching proper responsibility and control (and weeding out those incapable of it) as it is about teaching the magic.

* Among the Orlanthi of ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', god-talkers and other users of divine magic are highly respected, but shamans, who deal with spirits instead, are weird outcasts on the fringes of their society. (One clan in Dragon Pass does disagree and hold shamans in regard equal to priests; if the player wishes to form a tribe with this clan, they may have to agree to give more respect to shamans.)

* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' (D&D 3.5 rules) wizard and sorcerers share the same spells and both can run out but warlocks can keep casting an unlimited number of times, but have very few spells. Oddly while there is the odd reference to demon/devils the class text say their power comes from their own souls, not pacts with residents of other realms.
* In ''Videogame/PillarsOfEternity'', animancy (a branch of magical study focused on souls) is regarded with a degree of suspicion and hostility. It's not unfounded -- animancy is extremely potent and potentially dangerous. The bad reputation is also justified because [[spoiler:the BigBad and his organization the Leaden Key have spent thousands of years trying to suppress it and keep it from advancing to the same level as the original Engwithian civilization. The original Engwithians were masters of animancy and even used it to ''create the gods''. The Leaden Key fears that everyone discovering their gods are artificial soul constructs would doom civilization.]] The Wizard companion Aloth is particularly hostile to animancy, considering it dangerous and foolish. [[spoiler:This is a hint that he was a member of the Leaden Key.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction'' combines this with good old FantasticRacism. [[LizardFolk Shra]] can't [[ElementalBaggage summon fire or ice from nowhere]], so humans tend not to acknowledge that their ability to manipulate what's already around them is for all intents and purposes magic.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' features at least three distinct types of supernatural power. The first is [[KiManipulation Aura]], a manifestation of one's soul, which is widely known about to the point where it isn't considered "supernatural" in-universe, and can be used by anyone with enough training to protect themselves from harm and gain a minor HealingFactor. There is also [[FunctionalMagic magic]], which has ancient, divine origins and is much less widely known about, and can only be used by eight known people on the planet. Finally, there are the Grimm, physics- and biology-defying abominations that reproduce in pits of annihilatory slime and have no souls, and have no publicly-known source; they are explicitly able to defy the Law of Conservation of Energy, and no mortal scholar can figure out why.

** Despite being a prodigy at plant magic, Willow's fathers initially have her enrolled in the Abomination track (something which she has zero talent in) because they felt that it'd lead to her having better career opportunities when she graduates.

** Later still, "Them's the Breaks, Kid" shows that at least when Eda was young [[MagicMusic bard magic]] was often considered lame, with Raine lamenting how people don't take them seriously and other students expressing disbelief that a bard is so strong.

* Invoked in the [[UpdatedReleased Expanded Editions]] of ''Franchise/BaldursGate''. The potential recruit Neera is a WildMagic user, in [[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms a world]] where WildMagic is new and often perceived as blasphemous, in addition to being unequivocally dangerous. In the first game, she's being pursued by Red Wizards of Thay, who want to ''vivisect her brain'' to try and figure out how her WildMagic works. In the ''Shadows of Amn'' portion of the second game, she sets up a sanctuary for wild mages. [[spoiler:And then goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when the Red Wizards invade it.]] In conversations, she'll also mention that whilst other wizards weren't usually ''that'' malicious towards her, the general reception to her powers tended to be along the lines of "stop doing that and learn '''real''' wizard magic", with varying levels of vitriol.

** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', other spellcasters look down on pyromancy, considering it to be primitive and unsavoury, which the player's initial teacher in the subject admits is true, to a point. In fact, said teacher came to the Undead-infested kingdom of Lordran in part because it is literally the only place in the world where pyromancers are respected to some extent.
** By the time of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', pyromancy appears to have lost its "primitive" stigma and is now a respected school of magic alongside the others, but each significant kingdom in the game seems to look down on one particular school and those that practice it. Drangleic looks down on miracles, preferring scholarly pursuits such as sorcery (this might have had something to do with [[spoiler:the king's brother, himself a scholar, discovering that Gwyn was a {{Jerkass God|s}} extraordinaire whose fear of humanity's power over the Dark caused him to try and seal it with the Darksign, unintentionally creating the Curse of the Undead]]). The only prominent cleric in Drangleic was Velstadt, one of the king's two right-hand men. The extremely religious kingdom of Shulva focused on miracles and shunned sorcery, and is implied to be Velstadt's homeland. The Old Iron King's kingdom focused on pyromancy, but it isn't known what they thought about other schools of magic. Meanwhile, hexers seem to think their spells are superior to all other no matter what land they come from, and they have a point, since hexes are more difficult to use than other schools of magic, requiring hefty investment in both Intelligence and Faith since they scale off the stat that is the ''lower'' of the two.
** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', Karla, a witch specializing in Dark sorceries, disparages miracles since she hates the holier-than-thou clerics who tend to use them. However, with some prodding, she will reluctantly accept tomes containing Dark miracles of Londor and the Cathedral of the Deep. The actual miracle teacher, Irina, will accept the tomes as well, but really doesn't want to teach their contents to you since she is afraid of becoming corrupted, which will happen if you buy even one Dark miracle from her. For the same reason, pyromancy teacher Cornyx flat-out refuses to accept the pyromancy tome containing Dark pyromancies, requiring you to take it to Karla instead.
* In ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', the Miracle wielding clerics view soul arts as an abomination. The pracitioners of soul arts dislike clerics for trying to hold them back and treating them like pariahs. The clerics aren't exactly wrong to dislike soul arts though -- it's a dangerous power fueled by the souls of the dead that comes from the Old One itself, and the world is a CrapsackWorld because people abused soul arts in the past. [[spoiler:It's heavily implied that "miracles" are actually powered by the Old One, making them just soul arts with a more "benevolent" flavor to them. Sage Freke outright accuses cleric of unknowingly worshipping the Old One itself.]]
* The description of the Wizard on the ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' website suggests that she's an outcast from the mage clans for her willingness to use "[[DangerousForbiddenTechnique forbidden arts]]," and even calling herself a Wizard instead of a Sorceress is considered crass.
* Used all over the place in ''Franchise/DragonAge'': the most obvious example would probably the animosity between [[BloodMagic Blood Mages]] and Circle Mages loyal to the [[TheChurch Chantry]]; as the Chantry teaches that blood magic is what led to the creation of the Darkspawn, coupled with the fact that blood magic can also be used to control human minds and bind demons to the caster's will, most orthodox mages take a very dim view of its practitioners, labelling them as [[EvilSorcerer Maleficars]] regardless of whether they've used their powers for evil purposes or not. Meanwhile, the power-mad [[TheMagocracy Tevinter Magisters]], who permit the usage of blood magic within their borders, are looked on with a mixture of fear and disgust; Circle Mages will collaborate with them for research projects- especially in the more esoteric fields- but that's about as far as they're prepared to trust them.

** and of course, pretty much all of the above mentioned mages bag low opinions of Rivani Seers and Avvar augurs, who practice [[WillingChanneler communion]] with benevolent spirits. Basically everyone see this as no better than DemonicPossession.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** Prior to the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', after centuries of being technically legal if frowned-upon, the new [[TheArchmage Archmage]] of the [[MagicalSociety Mages Guild]], Hannibal Travel, formally banned {{necromancy}}. This created a significant schism within the guild, causing members who wished to practice necromancy to leave and join the [[ReligionOfEvil Order of the Black Worm]], a [[TheDarkArts Dark Arts]] society led by the infamous/legendary Necromancer/[[OurLichesAreDifferent Lich]] Mannimarco. The Mages Guild [[SidequestSidestory questline]] involves dealing with the Order and its rising power.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' takes place in the homeland of the ProudWarriorRace [[HornyVikings Nords]], who have a [[DoesNotLikeMagic cultural aversion to nearly all magic]] save for [[WhiteMagic Restoration]], and consider those who use it to be weak. While necromany isn't exactly accepted, it is still practiced somewhat openly through Skyrim, with only religious (rather than cultural) opposition.

** The recurring [[Literature/TheElderScrollsInUniverseBooks in-game book]] titled "The Black Arts On Trial" is a series of debates on the ethics of Necromancy, and the arguments for and against the Mage Guild officially studying it in a controlled academic environment. While the book does come down on the side that Necromancy is wrong (the book's written by the above-mentioned Archmage), the author notes in it he can still respect the logic presented in the debates and the need to discuss the matter intelligently.
** Another in-game book that looks at this subject is "Response to Bero's Speech". Bero, an illusionist, thinks poorly of the Destruction School of magic and gives a speech arguing that it should be treated as a sub-school within the the Alteration School instead of a school in its own right. The battlemage Malvisor responds by writing a treatise that points out multiple fallacies in Bero's arguments, argues an illusionist has no place criticising a school he hasn't studied for himself and takes a few snipes against Bero and his favored school of magic in the process:

* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'':
** The protoss are split into at least two factions, the Khalai and the Nerazim, who have serious philosophical differences, including how they use their powers. The Khalai have a kind of hivemind, while the Nerazim oppose it. The two sides have had multiple conflicts over this. ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' introduces the Tal'darim, a third faction who also do not have the pseudo-hivemind, and fuel their psionic abilities by huffing Terrazine gas.
** ''VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm'' introduced the Primal Zerg, descendants of Zerg that were not incorporated into the Swarm under the Overmind. They consider the Zerg Swarm to be "tainted" and "broken". The Swarm, meanwhile, considers the Primals to be chaotic and directionless.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' 'verse is full of this. There's the main Priests, Paladins, Druids & Shamans vs. Mages, Warlocks, Necromancers & Death Knights rift, where the former think that all of the latter are reckless and/or evil, risking [[SuperPowerMeltdown losing control]], gaining the attention of the Burning Legion, joining the Scourge or [[EarthShatteringKaboom worse]]. They are right, but mages think that ''they'' are using magic responsibly (and at least a few of them really are), and the former are just luddite fools, and the real villains are Warlocks, Necromancers and Death Knights. Then there's the good warlocks (read: player characters) who think they're strong enough to make a DealWithTheDevil without losing control and think that everyone else are naive fools who don't go far enough or lack the willpower to do so. Good Death Knights use their powers to [[FaustianRebellion rebel against their former master]]. Finally, there's AlwaysChaoticEvil demon-worshipping warlocks and life-scourging Necromancers & Death Knights.

* In the first movie to ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', it is revealed that Clow Reed had a rival in the form of a water-diviner known only as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Madoushi.]] She was always trying to outdo him, but he always prevailed, mainly because ''her'' power was used mainly for personal gain (thus limiting its potential), and Clow Reed used it for other (benevolent) purposes too. The rivalry is complicated because she had feelings for him, which ''may'' have been reciprocated [[note]][[AllThereInTheManual The databooks]] actually call her his former lover, which would imply that he at least slept with her once. [[/note]]...but she became a threat and had to be sealed away in an alternate dimension by Clow. (In the English dubbed version, she is a former student of his who actually became his girlfriend...and then turned to TheDarkSide, whereupon Clow broke up with her and then sealed her away.)

* In one ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueElite'' story, the team goes up against the witch Circe. The team mystic, Manitou Raven, shows disdain for Circe's methods, claiming that they barely qualify as magic because they don't involve any kind of personal sacrifice as his magic does.
* In ''ComicBook/TarotWitchOfTheBlackRose'', the world of witches is portrayed as being perpetually divided by methods and ideologies. This is presented as largely a good thing, as it allows for individuality and prevents zealots like Raven Hex or Azure from organizing the witches for evil ends.

* In ''Fanfic/BlackSky'', Dying Will Flames are ''very'' '''not''' magic, in spite of the resemblances. Magic comes from the blood, and Soulfire - as it is called by the magical protagonists - comes from the soul (duh). Squalo is quite miffed by the wizards' insistence to label the Flames as magic, while Narcissa Malfoy blatantly considers the Flame-Actives as different from magicals and muggles.
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has two schools of magic - Wanded and Wandless. As a rule, Wanded is more controlled and precise, more standardised, and much quicker to pick up, while Wandless takes longer to develop, but is much more intuitive and flexible, and practitioners live much longer. The differences are inborn, and compared to being right or left handed. However, like being right or left handed, they're not exclusive or insurmountable; there are varying degrees of overlap in talent (e.g. there are Wanded wizards such as John Constantine with natural ability at Wandless magic), and they can be overcome through training - moreover, Giovanni and Sindella Zatara, parents of Zatanna Zatara, invented a fused version of the Art.

* In a minor example, in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', it turns out “normal” wizards, or at least Amboyse from Pachet's Fine Spells and Scrolls, look down on Native magic (the kind that Paul knows). Whether the Native wizards feel the same way about “normal” magic is not known.

* Alexey Pehov's ''Literature/WindAndSparks'' series occurs as the two-millennia conflict between the white (arcane, hermetic) and the black (priest-like necromantic) schools erupts into yet another continent-spanning war. Plus there's a ritualistic red school which could have abstained from the conflict, but supported the whites. Technically, the empire housing the white school wins, but the gray school- which actually gave birth to the white and black one- is reborn.
* Wizards of Franchise/{{the Witcher}}world tend to look down on priests, considering their power to be just magic achieved through mysticism and meditation rather than [[MagicAIsMagicA training]].

* In ''Literature/AnArchdemonsDilemmaHowToLoveYourElfBride'', a few lucky humans are born with sorcery. Sorcery is general-purpose, but each sorcerer has one innate specialty [[PersonalityPowers usually based on their personality]]. They need book learning to do anything complex (so there's quite a market for sorcery blueprints) and mana to power their spells. Mysticism is what albinos- of all species- have. It is entirely intuitive, much more powerful than sorcery, not hindered by any of the limitations mentioned above, and isn't affected by [[AntiMagic anti-sorcery collars]] either. However, most albinos in the setting don't live to adulthood because criminals butcher them for HumanResources.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[GeometricMagic Rune Magic]] in ''Literature/VoidDomain'' is seen as archaic and outdated by the magical community, and is no longer taught. In practice, it's a BoringButPractical option for easy semi-permanent enchantments, and Eva does a lively trade in selling useful runes. BloodMagic and [[SummoningRitual demon summoning]] are also held in low regard, but for rather more solid reasons: while they're not evil in themselves, an amoral practitioner can get a lot more mileage out of them than someone who won't, for example, rip out people's hearts to make [[BodyToJewel bloodstone]].
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* Practitioners of the various Bending Arts in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' would often do this. Being subject to nationalistic propaganda since birth, Firebenders in particular would sneer at Earthbenders, but even Sokka wasn't above saying "fire is a stupid element anyway" when Aang lamented that he had yet to master it. Although Sokka's dislike of firebending may have come more from his animosity towards the Fire Nation than pride in waterbending, which he can't even do.

*** Aang has difficulty with firebending, which requires an offensive mindset, the desire to strike first in a conflict, have a pit of rage that a firebender can draw from, and using overwhelming force, all of which a pacifist like Aang abhors. While he did all right with firebending on a technical standpoint, his overeager nature caused him to hurt Katara during his first firebending excursion with Master Jeong Jeong, who himself was a cautious firebender. His second master, Zuko had to learn the original source of firebending in order to help Aang learn.
** In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Korra decides to briefly give up her [[BlowYouAway Airbending]] training due to her difficulty learning it and declares she doesn't need it to be the Avatar. Since Airbending requires patience and spirituality (extremely important attributes for an Avatar that Korra does not possess). She only taps into it to save her crush from being attacked.
* The main conflict in ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' is at least partly based on this. Inherently magical creatures, like elves and dragons, are born with a connection to one of the six types of [[ElementalPowers primal magic (earth, sky, sea, sun, moon and stars)]] and can learn to channel it through spells. Humans, lacking such a connection, have developed [[BlackMagic dark magic]], whereby you [[EyeOfNewt extract the magic from a magical creature]] and use it for your own purposes. Wielders of primal magic consider dark magic to be an abomination, and even among humans it has an unsavory reputation.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SeisManos'', [[spoiler:Sifu Lo]] is surprised to find out that there exist more ways to access magic than his usual Daoist Martial Arts Magic, such as Curandera herbalism and Bruja sorcery.

* Cassie in ''WesternAnimation/UltimateBookOfSpells'' wants to train to become a 'Supreme Sorceress', since 'witches get no respect.'

* In ''Manga/TheAncientMagusBride'', Alchemists, who treat [[FantasticScience magic as a science]] [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic that can be learned by anyone, with enough practice]], use a form of HermeticMagic; Mages are born with their powers, which stem from communication with the world of WildMagic and are therefore both much more potent and much more dangerous to learn.
* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has the magic side and the science side (the latter having both advanced technology and [[PsychicPowers espers]]).
** To begin with, both sides have a mutual treaty to minimise contact with each other. This results in the vast majority of the science side having no knowledge of magic, though the reverse is not true. A number of magicians look down on science. When science-side characters encounter magic, they often don't believe it's real and/or think it's actually esper abilities.
** The science side was founded by Aleister Crowley, a legendary magician who founded the modern system of magic [[BoomerangBigot but later came to hate it]]. Aleister considers his personal style of magic to be superior to that used by others because it avoids collateral damage. His primary goal is to [[spoiler:wipe out magic]].
** The science side is relatively unified, with no particular conflict between espers with different types of powers - telekinetics and telepaths don't hate each other, for example. There is conflict between espers of different power levels, but that falls outside this trope.
** The magic side is heavily divided due to conflict between faiths, since [[ReligionIsMagic most magic is based on religion]]. The three main magic factions are the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. These generally don't get along with each other and sometimes reach the point of open combat. Then there are smaller organisations like magic cabals, which are generally looked down on by the bigger groups.

* In a minor example, in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', it turns out “normal” wizards, or at least Amboyse from Pachet's Fine Spells and Scrolls, look down on Native magic (the kind that Paul knows). Whether the Native wizards feel the same way about “normal” magic is not known.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' 'verse is full of this. There's the main Priests, Paladins, Druids & Shamans vs. Mages, Warlocks, Necromancers & Death Knights rift, where the former think that all of the latter are reckless and/or evil, risking [[SuperPowerMeltdown losing control]], gaining the attention of the Burning Legion, joining the Scourge or [[EarthShatteringKaboom worse]]. They are right, but mages think that ''they'' are using magic responsibly (and at least a few of them really are), and the former are just luddite fools, and the real villains are Warlocks, Necromancers and Death Knights. Then there's the good warlocks (read: player characters) who think they're strong enough to make a DealWithTheDevil without losing control and think that everyone else are naive fools who don't go far enough or lack the willpower to do so. Good Death Knights use their powers to [[FaustianRebellion rebel against their former master]]. Finally, there's AlwaysChaoticEvil demon-worshipping warlocks and life-scourging Necromancers & Death Knights.
** Fortunately, there New Council of Tirisfal is set out to subvert this, inviting spellcasters from all races and disciplines to work together for the common good.
** The issue with mages isn't that they are necessarily evil, but that their power (arcane) is mostly chaos. Even if they are good, and do good, they risk getting corrupted eventually, no matter how responsible they try to be.

* In ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', the Miracle wielding clerics view soul arts as an abomination. The pracitioners of soul arts dislike clerics for trying to hold them back and treating them like pariahs. The clerics aren't exactly wrong to dislike soul arts though -- it's a dangerous power fueled by the souls of the dead that comes from the Old One itself, and the world is a CrapsackWorld because people abused soul arts in the past. [[spoiler:It's heavily implied that "miracles" are actually powered by the Old One, making them just soul arts with a more "benevolent" flavor to them. Sage Freke outright accuses cleric of unknowingly worshipping the Old One itself.]]
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'':
** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', other spellcasters look down on pyromancy, considering it to be primitive and unsavoury, which the player's initial teacher in the subject admits is true, to a point. In fact, said teacher came to the Undead-infested kingdom of Lordran in part because it is literally the only place in the world where pyromancers are respected to some extent.
** By the time of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', pyromancy appears to have lost its "primitive" stigma and is now a respected school of magic alongside the others, but each significant kingdom in the game seems to look down on one particular school and those that practice it. Drangleic looks down on miracles, preferring scholarly pursuits such as sorcery (this might have had something to do with [[spoiler:the king's brother, himself a scholar, discovering that Gwyn was a {{Jerkass God|s}} extraordinaire whose fear of humanity's power over the Dark caused him to try and seal it with the Darksign, unintentionally creating the Curse of the Undead]]). The only prominent cleric in Drangleic was Velstadt, one of the king's two right-hand men. The extremely religious kingdom of Shulva focused on miracles and shunned sorcery, and is implied to be Velstadt's homeland. The Old Iron King's kingdom focused on pyromancy, but it isn't known what they thought about other schools of magic. Meanwhile, hexers seem to think their spells are superior to all other no matter what land they come from, and they have a point, since hexes are more difficult to use than other schools of magic, requiring hefty investment in both Intelligence and Faith since they scale off the stat that is the ''lower'' of the two.
** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', Karla, a witch specializing in Dark sorceries, disparages miracles since she hates the holier-than-thou clerics who tend to use them. However, with some prodding, she will reluctantly accept tomes containing Dark miracles of Londor and the Cathedral of the Deep. The actual miracle teacher, Irina, will accept the tomes as well, but really doesn't want to teach their contents to you since she is afraid of becoming corrupted, which will happen if you buy even one Dark miracle from her. For the same reason, pyromancy teacher Cornyx flat-out refuses to accept the pyromancy tome containing Dark pyromancies, requiring you to take it to Karla instead.
* The description of the Wizard on the ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' website suggests that she's an outcast from the mage clans for her willingness to use "[[DangerousForbiddenTechnique forbidden arts]]," and even calling herself a Wizard instead of a Sorceress is considered crass.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** Prior to the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', after centuries of being technically legal if frowned-upon, the new [[TheArchmage Archmage]] of the [[MagicalSociety Mages Guild]], Hannibal Travel, formally banned {{necromancy}}. This created a significant schism within the guild, causing members who wished to practice necromancy to leave and join the [[ReligionOfEvil Order of the Black Worm]], a [[TheDarkArts Dark Arts]] society led by the infamous/legendary Necromancer/[[OurLichesAreDifferent Lich]] Mannimarco. The Mages Guild [[SidequestSidestory questline]] involves dealing with the Order and its rising power.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' takes place in the homeland of the ProudWarriorRace [[HornyVikings Nords]], who have a [[DoesNotLikeMagic cultural aversion to nearly all magic]] save for [[WhiteMagic Restoration]], and consider those who use it to be weak. While necromany isn't exactly accepted, it is still practiced somewhat openly through Skyrim, with only religious (rather than cultural) opposition.
*** In the [[WizardingSchool College of Winterhold]], Colette Marence, the in-house master of [Restoration magic, would have you believe that it's the Restoration school that is discriminated against by her peers in the facility. The very first thing she asks you when you speak to her is whether or not you yourself consider Restoration magic to be as worthy of study as that of the other schools (and you can indeed respond to the negative if you wish). In addition, the lectures she holds on the subject come across as overly defensive, and, while her colleagues are somewhat dismissive of her, this more seems to be an aversion to her overbearing personality than of any specific problem with the school of Restoration.
** The recurring [[Literature/TheElderScrollsInUniverseBooks in-game book]] titled "The Black Arts On Trial" is a series of debates on the ethics of Necromancy, and the arguments for and against the Mage Guild officially studying it in a controlled academic environment. While the book does come down on the side that Necromancy is wrong (the book's written by the above-mentioned Archmage), the author notes in it he can still respect the logic presented in the debates and the need to discuss the matter intelligently.
** Another in-game book that looks at this subject is "Response to Bero's Speech". Bero, an illusionist, thinks poorly of the Destruction School of magic and gives a speech arguing that it should be treated as a sub-school within the the Alteration School instead of a school in its own right. The battlemage Malvisor responds by writing a treatise that points out multiple fallacies in Bero's arguments, argues an illusionist has no place criticising a school he hasn't studied for himself and takes a few snipes against Bero and his favored school of magic in the process:
--->"It certainly isn't a coincidence that a master of the School of Illusion cast this attack on the School of Destruction. Illusion is, after all, all about masking the truth."

* The "War of Illusion" storyline in ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' combines this trope with MagiciansAreWizards, as two factions of stage magicians struggle for dominance.
* In ''Videogame/PillarsOfEternity'', animancy (a branch of magical study focused on souls) is regarded with a degree of suspicion and hostility. It's not unfounded -- animancy is extremely potent and potentially dangerous. The bad reputation is also justified because [[spoiler:the BigBad and his organization the Leaden Key have spent thousands of years trying to suppress it and keep it from advancing to the same level as the original Engwithian civilization. The original Engwithians were masters of animancy and even used it to ''create the gods''. The Leaden Key fears that everyone discovering their gods are artificial soul constructs would doom civilization.]] The Wizard companion Aloth is particularly hostile to animancy, considering it dangerous and foolish. [[spoiler:This is a hint that he was a member of the Leaden Key.]]
* Even the most liberal Shapers in ''VideoGame/GeneForge'' will regard Lifecrafters and other rebel Shaping-users as undisciplined savages without the wisdom or discipline to control the vast magical powers that they have learned "the easy way". In this case, they're generally right -- the long, arduous training of a Shaper is as much about teaching proper responsibility and control (and weeding out those incapable of it) as it is about teaching the magic.
* ''Videogame/SaltAndSanctuary'': Remarked upon and averted if you speak to a cleric of the Keepers of Fire and Sky, which are focused on harnessing the weave and the more arcane magics of [[KillItWithFire Fire]] and [[ShockAndAwe Sky]], while clerics of any order are more focused on divine magics. The cleric comments that one'd expect rivalry, but clerics of Fire and Sky do exist, and are in fact very important precisely ''because'' the mages are focused on destructive elemental magic. When your tower is full of wide-eyed apprentices flinging flames and lightning all over the goddamn place you ''don't'' look down on your healer for his different kind of magic.
** The Iron Ones, the game's NayTheist faction, also have clerics with all the same holy miracles that everyone else's clerics have. [[LampshadeHanging They're just as confused as you are about why they're there]].
* ''Videogame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and its sequels delve into a much deeper exploration of the two major Force-using factions in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe. The movies tend to present it as a basic good vs. evil conflict, but the games show it as more nuanced, with the Jedi adhering to a stoic discipline and the Sith following their passions. There are several [=NPCs=] (and [=PCs=], for that matter) who prefer to take a middle ground, seeing both philosophies as flawed extremes.
* Among the Orlanthi of ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', god-talkers and other users of divine magic are highly respected, but shamans, who deal with spirits instead, are weird outcasts on the fringes of their society. (One clan in Dragon Pass does disagree and hold shamans in regard equal to priests; if the player wishes to form a tribe with this clan, they may have to agree to give more respect to shamans.)
* In ''VideoGame/SixAges'', also set in [[TabletopGame/RuneQuest Glorantha]] but many eons before ''King of Dragon Pass'' takes place, the Hyalorings give shamans and priests roughly equal respect, allowing both to be leaders and even clan chiefs. This causes a bit of confusion and suspicion with neighbors who practice one kind of magic rather than both. And then there's the Antler Society, a new shamanic movement whose practitioners work, act, and dress drastically different from traditional shamans. These differences—and especially the fact that the insular Antlers are loyal to each other before the clan as a whole—can cause strife in a clan.
* Invoked in the [[UpdatedReleased Expanded Editions]] of ''Franchise/BaldursGate''. The potential recruit Neera is a WildMagic user, in [[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms a world]] where WildMagic is new and often perceived as blasphemous, in addition to being unequivocally dangerous. In the first game, she's being pursued by Red Wizards of Thay, who want to ''vivisect her brain'' to try and figure out how her WildMagic works. In the ''Shadows of Amn'' portion of the second game, she sets up a sanctuary for wild mages. [[spoiler:And then goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when the Red Wizards invade it.]] In conversations, she'll also mention that whilst other wizards weren't usually ''that'' malicious towards her, the general reception to her powers tended to be along the lines of "stop doing that and learn '''real''' wizard magic", with varying levels of vitriol.

* Cassie in ''WesternAnimation/UltimateBookOfSpells'' wants to train to become a 'Supreme Sorceress', since 'witches get no respect.'
* ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian'': Ariel is a sorceress, and will instantly and angrily correct anyone who dares call her a "witch".
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "Bridle Gossip", Twilight Sparkle, who is a student of unicorn magic and SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic, shows a lot of disdain towards things like "curses" that are done "artificially" as opposed to drawing from innate power. She's got a pretty good reason, though, since she thinks they don't work/exist, besides making no sense based on her extensive knowledge of magic. In "Feeling Pinkie Keen", she likewise has a hard time accepting that Pinkie Pie has an innate but weird and completely unanalysable precognitive sense.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SeisManos'', [[spoiler:Sifu Lo]] is surprised to find out that there exist more ways to access magic than his usual Daoist Martial Arts Magic, such as Curandera herbalism and Bruja sorcery.

** Despite being a prodigy at plant magic, Willow's [[HasTwoDaddies fathers]] initially have her enrolled in the Abomination track (something which she has zero talent in) because they felt that it'd lead to her having better career opportunities when she graduates.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime'': Weaves of Saidar (female half of the One Power) are shown as white. Weaves of Saidin (male half) are also white, but covered with black tendrils representing the Dark One's corruption. Similar color-coding was in the books for male and female halves of the yin-yang Aes Sedai symbol: white "Flame of Tar Valon" and black "Dragon Fang".

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has the magic side and the science side (the latter having both advanced technology and [[PsychicPowers espers]]).

* In ''LightNovel/AnArchdemonsDilemmaHowToLoveYourElfBride'', a few lucky humans are born with sorcery. Sorcery is general-purpose, but each sorcerer has one innate specialty [[PersonalityPowers usually based on their personality]]. They need book learning to do anything complex (so there's quite a market for sorcery blueprints) and mana to power their spells. Mysticism is what albinos- of all species- have. It is entirely intuitive, much more powerful than sorcery, not hindered by any of the limitations mentioned above, and isn't affected by [[AntiMagic anti-sorcery collars]] either. However, most albinos in the setting don't live to adulthood because criminals butcher them for HumanResources.

** The author behind [=OotS=] also wrote a series of articles about world building where he came up with a setting where Druids ended up as the most persecuted class. This is because the dominant church of the setting doesn't want the common people to know that it is possible for people who don't follow the church's dogma to gain magical abilities. And unlike most settings, Sorcerers are held in high regard because they are born with magic and so are seen as having been blessed by one of the gods.

* Since its world is based on [=DnD=] 3.5 rules, ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has the same examples of this. In ''StartOfDarkness'', Xykon is looked down upon often by wizards for his being a sorcerer, which, naturally, [[BerserkButton pisses him off]]. Since this is Xykon, these people tend not to live much longer. Especially notable when Dorukan is fighting Xykon and at one point asserts the superiority of his wizardry to Xykon's sorcery. [[spoiler:Xykon responds by casting Energy Drain every turn, while giving a HannibalLecture about the advantages of spontaneous casting.]] At the beginning of ''StartOfDarkness'', Xykon is told that sorcery is like a rubber mallet, whilst wizardry is a finely crafted watch. At the end, Xykon says that he'd much rather have the sledgehammer than the watch.

** The main one is [[RuleMagic Magecraft]], also known as Thaumaturgy, which is the one most commonly used by humans. People who practice Magecraft are called magi. The basic principle is a form of ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, both in the creation of a magic system (which requires enough people to beleive in it for long enough for it to become "engraved" upon the world) and in execution (MagicWords are more about the magus hypnotising themself into believing what they're doing is possible than anything else).
** Beyond that is [[RealityWarper True Magic]], used by magicians. Unlike Magecraft, which works within the world and is bound by its rules, True Magic exists beyond the world and so can do basically anything. In the Age of the Gods, there wasn't a distinction between the two, but as the gods and their power continued to fade, Solomon created the first modern Magecraft system to ensure that humanity would still have some access to mysetrious power. In the present day there are only five forms of True Magic left in the world, and only two of them have living active magicians.

** This is an obstacle that [[TheRedMage Avatars]] always have to overcome, as the [[ElementalPowers different elements]] require different frames of mind and techniques. And it proves especially troublesome for Aang when he wants to find a firebending teacher[[note]]His two firebending teachers being Jeong Jeong, who was wary of his own firebending abilities, and Prince Zuko, who had to shake off his cultural conditioning to teach Aang[[/note]].
** In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Korra decides to briefly give up her [[BlowYouAway Airbending]] training due to her difficulty learning it and declares she doesn't need it to be the Avatar. Since Airbending requires patience and spirituality (extremely important attributes for an Avatar that Korra does not possess) she eventually changes her mind.

-->"It certainly isn't a coincidence that a master of the School of Illusion cast this attack on the School of Destruction. Illusion is, after all, all about masking the truth."

* King Saul consults a Witch at Endor on the night before a crucial battle, to G-d's great displeasure. She summons up the soul of a deceased Prophet of Israel who passes on the displeasure of G-d that His anointed King of Israel so lacks faith that he is doing something accursed in the divine eye - consulting a Witch and using magic to contact the dead.