History Main / MagicVersusScience

* Thoroughly averted in the later ''{{Wizardry}}'' games. Magic, psychic powers, and sci-fi technology all get along just fine, a dragon owns a starship, the final trilogy of the series takes place on three different planets, and several races are shown to wield magic, psionics, and advanced technology simultaneously with no problems. Oh, and there are robots (''not'' {{Magitek}}) that can cast spells.

* In ''GunnerkriggCourt'', the conflict of worldviews is the reason for friction between the Court and the Wood. One of the Court's major fields of research is Etheric Science (that is, [[MagicAIsMagicA the science of magic]]), and the Court makes prominent use of Etheric technology: Robots that function with no visible drive systems, and magic spells by the elder [[spoiler:Donlans]] which turn out to be computer programs. (On the other hand, some members of the Court are distrustful and disparaging of magic-users.) This is contrasted with the magical denizens of Gillitie Wood, who espouse Ethereal Tenet (which, in the words of the author, boils down to "It just does, okay?") and take umbrage at man's attempt to learn more about the world.

* Averted in ElGoonishShive. Magic is a type of energy, and science has ways to make use of it like any other forms of energy. [[spoiler: Tedd's TF Gun works like this]].

*** Have you ever seen a chemical reaction that can show you ''what a person is doing at any given time''? Chemistry my ''foot'', that's obviously magic.

In RealLife, the scientific community is highly skeptical toward claims of the paranormal, and largely disbelieves in the existence of [[FunctionalMagic magic]]. While, for the scientists, this is just a question of evidence (and science has no problem over time accepting counter-intuitive phenomena like radioactivity, meteorites, hypnosis and superconductivity when there ''is'' evidence), [[DidNotDoTheResearch some people interpret it to mean]] that science and magic are fundamentally opposed. Some authors will then transplant this opposition into a SpeculativeFiction setting: [[FunctionalMagic Magic really does exist]], but [[HarmonyVersusDiscipline for whatever reason]], it's not on speaking terms with Science or Technology. However, what many Anti-Magic Scientists and Anti-Science Magicians [[{{Too Dumb To Live}} seem to forget]] is that since most magic systems [[{{Magic A Is Magic A}} follow a set of rules]], magic itself [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic can be seen as a form of science.]] Nonetheless, one should not expect different types of magic systems to be reconcilable, [[http://everything2.com/title/Resolving+ disparate+ magic+ systems+ when+ forced+ to except when they are.]] Interestingly enough, in pre-scientific times, all of the modern sciences, all forms of industry, and the very laws of nature itself [[http://www.scribd.com/doc/2868464/Magic-in-Games were considered to be magic.]]

* In the [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffyverse]], magic and the paranormal are a carefully-guarded secret. When the US government discovers the existence of demons and other monsters, they assume they're simply rare animals, mutants, or products of TheVirus, and so start experimenting with them in order to turn them into weapons. In the fourth season, they soon learn they ''can't'' control it, when their prototype [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot human/undead/demon/cyborg]] (a fusion of the mystical and science) manipulates them into doing as he wants. This comes to a head when Buffy, herself temporarily fused with Willow's magic prowess, Giles's knowledge, and Xander's spirit, beat the ever-living shit out of the combo-demon after a season of it handing her ass to her. In his commentaries, JossWhedon notes that it came down to magic versus science, and in a situation like that, "magic would kick science's ass".
** This is the same man that said the Punisher is a coward... because he uses guns... so, yeah..

[[caption-width-right:325:[[http://xkcd.com/373/ But science can't prove ''everything'' right?]]]]

[[quoteright:325:[[{{xkcd}}http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_data_so_far1_9793.png]]]]

[[quoteright:320:[[{{xkcd}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/science.jpg]]\\
[[center:[[http://xkcd.com/54 ...in our world, at least.]]]]]]

*** What about them flying around on broomsticks?

* The MadeForTVMovie ''Paradox'' (based on a comic of the same name) was set in a parallel universe where magic existed, and science was seen as superstition. The main character, a CowboyCop who distrusted magical evidence, was derided by other cops with lines like "What do you want to do, dust for fingerprints?" His LoveInterest was a GranolaGirl who advertised herself as a "Professional Pragmatist", and was able to identify a nonmagical explosive (gunpowder) and a nonmagical narcotic (cocaine) as being based on the ancient scientific beliefs of the Chinese and Incas.

* Harry Dresden of ''TheDresdenFiles'' [[WalkingTechbane can kill a computer by standing within twenty feet of it]]. The books explain this tendency by saying that magic involves the manipulation of energy and matter, which means energy is always a bit "wild" around a wizard... which is a bad thing for anything that relies too much on circuitry or magnetics.
** of course that is without even trying. If he put enough effort into it, he could probably blow out the electric grid of Chicago. Oh wait...

* The rarest truth about the ''GlobalGuardiansPBEM Universe'' is that magic exists, and can be used for specific purposes by those capable of doing so. Its described as "the rarest truth" because most people, when they personally experience magic, will go to nearly any length to explain what just happened to them away in mundane, non-magical terms. Most human beings, especially those living in the so-called "First World" (the United States, England, France, Japan, and so on), simply aren't ready to accept the fact that magic is real.

*** [[spoiler:Considering that Darkseid is a New God or Evil Spiritual Entity, and those are naturally attuned to magic and that Luthor just sacrificed a Witch...what ELSE could possibly be summoned? Brainiac is a Machine and not innately attuned to Black Magic, but Darkseid obviously is. It would be even "weirder" if Brainiac came back then Darkseid.]]

* '''Magic is the Dimension's Natural Law''': Depending on which dimension of TheMultiverse you are in. In World A, you can shoot lightning from your fingertips if you know how and gunpowder does not explode; and in World 1, the reverse happens.

Can result in (or is deliberately designed to justify) MedievalStasis; no technological advances are made beyond a certain point because mages accomplish what is needed. If only a few people are mages, then there's a clear caste system. TheMagocracy clearly wouldn't want competition. This doesn't mean no science goes on in these settings though; the scientific method may be applied not to creating technology, but to study a FantasticScience.

** Generally, much of the ordinary populace's scepticism of the Jedi comes from the fact that they exercise their powers more or less unchecked, which is also why they became wildly popular as heroes during the Clone Wars - because then they were undoubtedly fighting for the Republic. This troper seems to remember a passage saying that Jedi action figures were popular toys during the Clone Wars.