History Main / MagicVersusScience

* ''WebVideo/CreamHeroes'' has this as a theme in the ''Kittisaurus Villains'' episode ''Why do Cats ring Bells.'' Lulu and Dodo rely on Chuchu's ability to talk to nature to find the magical snack-giving stone (a bell), while Coco and Momo rely on Coco's holographic globe technology to locate the scientific snack-giving stone. Both arrive at the same time and begin arguing over the stone, and then over it is scientific or magical.

** Again, particularly ironic, since religion and science historically had, and largely still have, a positive relationship (contrary to arguments you might witness online). More particularly, there was the very logical belief among early theistic philosphers that an orderly God would create an orderly universe that could be studied and understood in an orderly way, and thus, the scientific method was born.

** Again, particularly ironic, since religion and science historically had, and largely still have, a positive relationship (contrary to arguments you might witness online).

** Again, particularly ironic, since religion and science historically, and largely still do, had a positive relationship, contrary to arguments you might witness online.

Compare the following tropes: DoingInTheWizard for when seemingly magical manifestations are explained as science. DoingInTheScientist for when scientific anomalies are later explained as magic. MaybeMagicMaybeMundane for when the phenomenon is inadequately explained either way and the characters just can't tell. FantasticScience for when the scientist begins to make magic their field of study. PostModernMagik for when the magic takes cues from technology. Contrast ScientificallyUnderstandableSorcery where the magic and science use the same rules but different energy sources and methods, and SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic where magic is treated as a science.

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* In ''Roleplay/CosmicInterference'', most of Lowell's battles against Luna consist at least somewhat of this, with Lowell relying on his technology to keep an edge against Luna, a rabbit which uses a magic lantern, mostly resulting in Golem being his main method of fighting. This predictably blows up in his face often.
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In many stories, modern technology ([[HollywoodScience often called "science"]]) is placed in opposition to the will of a person influencing the universe ([[FunctionalMagic often called "magic"]]). This divide can build into TheMagicVersusTechnologyWar, where both sides of the debate attempt to eliminate the other side. Stories which present the divide often use one or more reasons for the separation, summarized here:

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Yami Yugi is the Magic to Seto Kaiba's Science. Yami Yugi uses a deck of Warrior, Spellcaster and Fiend type monsters, is the spirit of an ancient Egyptian king inside a magical necklace, and believes in destiny. Kaiba by contrast uses a deck of Dragons and Machines, is the designer of the holographic technology that most duelists rely on, and says ScrewDestiny. Kaiba also has absolutely no interest in the magic of the series, though it gets exaggerated in the dub into outright denial that magic exists. Which makes it all the more ironic that Kaiba is also the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian who is attuned to a magical artifact.

** This gets later inverted in the Android arc, when the androids, products of Dr. Gero's science, are pitted against our heroes. Their strength being entirely mechanical, they don't possess any ki. Since the heroes have gotten too reliant on sensing ki for enemy detection they have a hard time tracking them down. They also tend to be at a disadvantage when fighitng Androids who are roughly at the same strengt as them, due to the androids' of their much vaster energy reserves, allowing them to fight at top condition much longer while the heroes eventually get tired and succumb to fatigue (this applies only to #17 and #18 though).

** Valento, the dark elf chemist, sees science as a direct defiance of magic, and wants nothing more than to use his science to face magic and win.

* Played with in ''ComicBook/RomSpaceKnight'', the hero is an alien cyborg wielding advanced technology, whilst the enemy are the Dire Wraiths, who blend magic and science in multiple ways. The Wraiths look like shapechanging demons, but are mutated descendants of the alien Skrulls who were outcast for practicing magic, and they survived by fleeing to the Dark Nebula, an [[DeathWorld incredibly lethal]] area of space that ran on sorcerous principles rather than scientific ones. However, the Dire Wraiths were largely confined to the Dark Nebula until a faction of theirs turned to science over sorcery, constructing spacefaring ships they used to ravage the universe beyond their homeworld. After their defeat by the Galadoran Space Knights, they fragmented into two squabbling factions; those who favored magic, and those who favored science, [[MotherNatureFatherScience with females being witches and males being scientists]]. Whilst there were some abortive attepts to combine the two forces, ultimately the females grew sick of the repeated failures of their scientific male kin (despite the fact their sorcery had been no more successful) and [[{{Gendercide}} they wiped them all out]] to relaunch their campaign to conquer Earth relying exclusively on magic.

* When ComicBook/BlackAdam (about as powerful as Franchise/{{Superman}}, but with no KryptoniteFactor) [[spoiler:goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]] in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' he goes after the {{Mad Scientist}}s on Oolong Island [[spoiler:after he killed the Four Horsemen]]. Most of the Mad Scientists are understandably freaking out. Black Adam easily plows through their defenses. Then one of the Mad Scientists gives the others a pep talk. And then [[spoiler:the Mad Scientists ''kick Black Adam's ass''. They blind him, time freeze him, give him a tesseract concussion, beat and pour acid on him, and give him artificial spacticity in less than a minute]]. Science won hands down this time.

* ''ComicBook/JSAClassified'': Despite living in a world were magic and ''vampires'' are definitely real Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific double down on the concept of logic vs. superstition when faced with a serial killer who seems to be a vampire. They end up being correct that he's not one, though Mid-Nite notes they still don't have a full explanation for everything off about the man.

** Luna also mentions the time the goddess Strife, the AnthropomorphicPersonification of Natural Selection, engineered a conflict between two equally advanced civilizations, one entirely magical and one based entirely on science, then had Judicium, the Concept of Judgment and Balance, who literally ''can't'' be biased or unfair in his rulings, make a judgement on which was superior. He ruled that neither Science or Magic is inherently better, as they both seek the truth about how the world works, and have ''different'' strengths and weaknesses. Strife agreed, and the two nations ended up signing a peace treaty.

* In ''Fanfic/TheNewAdventuresOfInvaderZim'', when they're first introduced, Dib's new friends the twins Steve and Viera have an ongoing argument on whether science or magic (respectfully) is better. This bitter debate hinders their ability to work as a team, until Dib finally convinces them to AgreeToDisagree and work together.

* ''FanFic/FateGenesis'': What [[KungFuWizard Rin's]] rivalry with [[MadScientist Eggman]] is in a nutshell. Like most other mages of the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Rin doesn't believe that technology is capable of keeping up with magic. Each time Eggman's creations continue to keep up and show up magic, she grows more and more frustrated.

* This is a major theme of ''Fanfic/FateBuildTheMechanicalMagus'' -- one half of the crossover comes from an UrbanFantasy setting involving PostModernMagik, with this particular group focusing on a magical tournament for the Holy Grail, while the other originates from a PostCyberpunk setting involving corporations battling for control of an alien artifact. The magic side is especially shocked that several of the technology side's items can actuall hurt them, since per the rules of magic, OlderIsBetter to the degree that modern technology shouldn't be able to do squat against half the magic cast.

* In the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' books, the Old Kingdom shares a border with Ancelstierre, a country with approximately 1920s era technology. Charter mages from the Old Kingdom find it increasingly difficult to use magic the further they travel into Ancelstierre, and apart from those who live near the border, most of the population don't believe in magic at all. Just about anything machine-made from Ancelstierre will fall apart not too long after being taken into the Old Kingdom. In this case, it isn't actually the technology and the magic that are opposed, ''per se''; it's that Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom are literally two different worlds, with different rules: in the Old Kingdom, anything not made by human hands (such as machined paper) begins to degrade, possibly due to the presence of Free Magic, which seems particularly corrosive to such artifacts.

** Harry Dresden [[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 creates a "Murphyonic field" around wizards makes so that near them complicated devices tend to fail more[[note]]And in interesting ways: a computer may literally explode, or the hard drive might get wiped, as if it was hit by a massive magnetic surge. A car's ignition switch may refuse to start, or the door ajar alarm might just go off incessantly. The only guarantee is that "high tech" ''will'' fail, somehow, ranging from mild annoyance to utter catastrophe[[/note]]. When trying to wizards are able to purposely break any sufficiently advanced technology in the area (unless it has enough back ups), simply by conjuring up their anti-tech field and projecting it: Harry even notes that it requires barely any effort at all. It's also implied that older wizards have even more trouble with technology: Whereas Dresden can usually keep his Beetle going, his mentor Ebenezer drives a truck from the 30s. In the same vein, Harry had no problem running through a hospital in ''Grave Peril'', but refused to go anywhere near the hospital to see [[spoiler:Michael after he was seriously injured]] several years later, implying that his increasing power is harder to suppress.
** This was also once mentioned as a reason for Harry's usage of revolvers rather then semi-automatic pistols, as the more complex firearms tend to jam, backfire, and otherwise fail to function properly in his hands. This effect even extends to guns near him, especially when he is really angry. One time a vampire's servitor was badly injured by a backfire from a ''Kalashnikov'' (it's not consistent enough for him to rely on it as a defense option, though).
** In later books it's revealed that magic is an ever changing force and it interferes with technology ''now''. Some hundred years ago it made milk sour rapidly and caused people to break out with boils and warts. And this phenomenon only applies to human wizards, as other supernatural beings don't cause such interferences at all. Vampires can use the internet, fae can fight with automatic weapons, etc. [[spoiler:which results in a huge WhamLine at the end of ''Literature/ColdDays.'']]

* An interesting variant is seen in the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' novel ''The Gathering Dark'', which features religion vs magic in a dark-ages setting, with magic sort-of being equated with science. The difference between the two is that while a priest believes just because he/she has blind faith, a mage believes because he/she ''understands''. It eventually turns out that the CorruptChurch has actually been using magic all along, the users just thought they were miracles. But a real mage beats a priest easily, because the mage is better at it.

* In the ''Literature/HellsGate'' series by Creator/DavidWeber and LindaEvans, this is taken to a more literal extreme than most - it's about a war between two rival civilizations, one of which has a 19th century tech base and a bit of psionics, the other of which is at largely the same functional level, but whose "technology" is entirely magic-based.

* The ''Literature/LordDarcy'' novels have an interesting variation. Firstly, [[{{Magitek}} magic is science]]; it's firmly understood and grounded in [[MagicAIsMagicA the laws of the universe]] (well, the laws of ''that'' universe). More subtle, though, is that science is magic, or at least is seen by magic users the same way as our scientists see magic - for example a Healer derides a "wise woman" prescribing foxglove tea (i.e. digitalis) for heart problems, because it doesn't fit the Laws of Similarity and Contagion. There are a ''lot'' of parallels between science and magic. One character is "only" a Master Sorcerer (that is, he has a Master's degree in Magic) because he "couldn't handle the math" required to go on and get a doctorate [=("Th.D.")=]. Another character ''has'' a doctorate, but is, for whatever reason, psychically "blind" to magic. He knows how it works possibly better than anyone else alive, it just doesn't work for him. Finally, a third character who is killed on the first page of the story he's in (the story is about Lord Darcy investigating the man's death) is revealed in short order to also have been "blind" to magic. In his case he decided that magic was all just trickery, and he's spent much of his life investigating the physical sciences, in particular chemistry, which (partially thanks to him) is just barely beginning to come out of the "alchemy" stage in Darcy's world.
* In the Literature/{{Discworld}}, technology and science ''usually'' is based on magic. The Discworld version of a camera or a digital organiser is just a specific kind of Imp living in a little box. The Unseen University has a whole group of the magical equivalent of 80s computer nerds, inventing Artificial Intelligence using a collection of enchanted stuff, like a sheep skull and a teddy bear that mysteriously appeared one Hogswatch-night. Their computer, "Hex", has bugs. Literally. Specifically, it's partly based on colonies of bees and ants - ants as the basis for computation, bees for long term memory via different kinds of honey.

* Ben Aaronovitch's ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' series takes the Magic is EMP route burning out anything electronic. Notably this ''does'' include human brains, just electronic devices are more sensitive and burn out before your brain does. DC Grant goes through several cell phones before learning to take the battery out before performing magic to prevent them blowing up. He even deduces why: the fields produce a rudimentary form of life force, but unlike living things, where you need to sacrifice the creature to get at it, the rudimentary form means they can't hang onto it.
* In Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt'' series, the world is divided into magically focused Inapt races and technologically adept Apt races. The former can't comprehend any technology more advanced than metallurgy, and can't even put a key in a lock or pull the trigger of a crossbow. The latter, meanwhile, can't comprehend magic. They can perceive its effects, but insist that it's all just trickery. There are subtler differences, too: as one example, Inapt-drawn maps focus on symbolism and significance rather than things like distance or geography, and are naturally dismissed as useless by the Apt, yet the Inapt can navigate by them perfectly fine. (One interesting quirk is that Apt and Inapt races are equally skilled at chemistry; despite following wholly different chains of logic, they get the same results.) The distinction is genetic: Apt parents have Apt children, Inapt parents have Inapt children, and mixed parentage goes either way -- it's impossible to be both, at least in any significant way. No amount of schooling can teach an Inapt person even basic mechanical knowledge, while the few examples of an Apt person learning magic involved them first ''losing'' their Aptitude.

* The setting of ''[[Literature/{{Somewhither}} Tale of the Unwithering Realm]]'' has a rather complicated take on this. "The works of men", i.e. gunpowder, electronics etc. don't function in or near the twilight (the substance from the VoidBetweenTheWorlds), since "the darkness is without form, and void, so the works of men must fail in the twilight, because their form is less." However, there's more to it than that: each world has different physical laws and different arts which work in it (e.g. science for our world, necromancy or astrology for others), and the twilight nullifies all technology/magic which is characteristic to individual worlds and not common for all of them. Hence also why astrologers of the Dark Tower must use gigantic clockwork Babbage machines instead of computers to do their predictions; only simple mechanic devices function correctly near the sources of twilight.

* In the Franchise/{{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]] 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, Creator/JossWhedon notes that it came down to magic versus science, and in a situation like that, "magic would kick science's ass". This idea did get a bit broken by the WordOfGod that people who do impossible things with science on the Hellmouth (such as create a demonic Frankensteinian nuclear powered cyborg) are actually using magic without knowing it.

** "The Shakespeare Code". The Tenth Doctor explains that while humans took to numbers, [[MonsterOfTheWeek the Carrionites]] took to words that looks and acts just like witchcraft and which the Carrionites call magic distinct from science. The Doctor insists it is science. Interestingly, it seems as though this is not a phenomenon unique to the Carrionites, as it seems that nearly anyone can use the system, but most lack the ability to understand it enough to make anything more than a basic use of it. The Doctor himself can only grasp the basics and needs help to make it work on a larger scale.
** The Third Doctor's adventures "The Daemons" has TheMaster engage in black magic rituals to summon and control a powerful alien. The Doctor admits that the Master's incantations, gestures, symbols and rituals are not window dressing, but have actual power matching the exact description of black magic given by the local white witch. Yet The Doctor insist on claiming it is the 'secret science of the Daemons."
** It's mentioned in the expanded universe that magic ''did'' once exist in the current universe and was even practiced in Gallifrey. Rassilon, however, despised magic, and with the Time Lords' ascension, magic was quashed beneath science. There was in fact a race of magic users who began approaching time travel before they went to war with the Time Lords and lost, getting them {{Ret Gone}}d. Had the won, they would've replaced the Time Lords as the dominant race with magic being the common phenomenon. So in general, magic vs science actually occurred and magic lost.
*** This might explain the [[FridgeBrilliance Doctor's insistence with magic not existing. His race literally booted it and their followers out. And if it does exist, it means they could be back... and probably be very]] ''[[FridgeBrilliance very]]'' [[FridgeBrilliance pissed.]]

* The central premise of ''Series/EmeraldCity'' with the brewing war between the Wizard (despite the name, he's actually a scientist, who utterly despises magic and has outlawed it in Oz) and Glinda, [[spoiler:who is revealed to be secretly producing more witches to bolster her army, even though her and West were supposed to be the last two cardinal witches]]. While, normally, only a witch (or the Beast Forever) can kill a witch, it's revealed that [[spoiler:a gun can do the job just as well]], prompting the Wizard to try to get as many of them as possible. [[spoiler:Except it turns out that's ''not'' the case -- the gun only killed the Witch of the East because she herself, a witch, was the one who fired it, having been tricked by Dorothy into doing so after pointing it at her own head. The Wizard has a major OhCrap moment when he realizes this.]]

** In the ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'', the TechnologyLevels of the various domains tends to shape attitudes about magic. As a rule, the more technologically advanced a given domain is, the less seriously people take magic. Even though they live in a blatantly supernatural PocketDimension and magic is for the most part consistently powerful regardless of which domain you are in.
** In ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'', the [[OurGnomesAreWeirder tinker gnomes]] are firmly on the side of Science, and preach the idea that science is superior to magic loudly and insistently. Unusually, they're portrayed as completely in the wrong; only the [[AntiMagicalFaction honor-bound, arcane magic-averse]] Solamnians give tinker gnomes any credibility, and even they admit that, 999 times out of 1000, anything tinker gnome technology can do, magic can do quicker, more reliably, safer and cheaper. It doesn't help that the tinker gnomes are stricken as a race with a divine curse that condemns them to be {{Bungling Inventor}}s, who cannot approach science in anything resembling a logical, coherent fashion. As a result, everybody on Krynn relies on muscle power or magic, and the word "technology" is somewhere between a joke and a profanity.

** Interestingly the Magic versus Science idea tends to come off as one sided on the Technocracy's part. Most Tradition Mages (except the [[WitchClassic Verbena]]) actively use technology and have no problems with it when it is not being used to send [[TerminatorImpersonator Terminator Impersonators]] to rip their arms off. In fact, two of the Traditions, the [[PlayfulHacker Virtual Adepts]] and [[{{Zeerust}} Sons of Ether]], used to be [[HeelFaceTurn part of the Technocracy]] and still use technology to help them with their magic. Meanwhile the Technocracy is absolutely unwilling to allow any magic to exist if they have anything to say about it, though to their credit this is because they believe that {{Muggles}} believing in magic will eventually make them stop believing in science altogether.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' plays with this trope. You will be killed on sight if you use magic in many areas, but some mages create "techno-wizard" items where [[MagiTek a semi-technological device is imbued with magic]]. In fact, several of the setting's more advanced societies (the Splugorth, most of the power-players of the Three Galaxies, and most advanced primarily magic-using nations) use a combination of magic, MagiTek and tech with little to no apprehension. In the Palladium [[TheMultiverse Megaverse]], extremism one way or the other is the wrong answer -- pro-tech, anti-magic nations tend to be [[FantasticRacism speciesist]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName militant totalitarian regimes]], while pro-magic, anti-tech nations tend to be literal [[HellOnEarth demonic hell-holes]].
* ''TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression'': Played with. The Peerage treat Inspiration almost like a form of magic. Lemuria is utterly convinced it's a rational science. [[MadScientist It's not.]] Accepting that Inspiration isn't a science and that a Genius doesn't know great scientific truths the unwashed masses are too stupid to see is the first step to preventing yourself from performing [[ForScience horrific experiments]] so the Peerage comes off ahead here. Despite all this the Peers would love to turn Inspiration into a science but that project is going nowhere (which might be because mad scientists are useless at actual research). The actual Magic vs Science: Sane science vs mad science puts sane science ahead on just about everything except raw power and ease of invention.

* Both averted and played straight in ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}''. Albionian Magic and Terran science are merely two aspects of the greater whole, that are in continuous conflict with each other. The only differences are that Terran technology uses energy from matter and is based on well definable principles, while magic energy from one's spirit, and is governed by more abstract and undefinable laws. That said, It's actually possible for someone to cast a spell using nuclear energy, [[spoiler:and incidentally, the player's ultimate goal involves just this]].

* Underplayed in ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' - The Oldest House, the EldritchLocation in which the game takes place, will not tolerate any technology from later than the 80s, with various devices either disappearing or violently malfunctioning. Likewise, modern technology tends not to become Altered or gain Power. A document that explains this speculates that it takes a while for the newest tech to become sufficiently ingrained in the public unconscious for the Altered World Events to affect them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}'' has the technology wielding ScienceHero Tinker who displays a condescending attitude toward both magic and its users.

** The one that likely embodies this most is ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. The villians are the corporation Shinra, the EldritchAbomination from the stars Jenovah and the HumanoidAbomination created by Shinra from Jenova's cells Sephiroth. Shinra embodies science and Jenova/Sephiroth are the magic and both abuse the lifestream in their quest for power. The heroes have the respect for both using both technology and materia to stop both sides.
** The backstory of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' includes a massive war between a science and technology based super-power and one based on magic and summoning. The magic users "won" [[spoiler:by turning their entire population into a power source for a weapon of mass destruction which wiped out 90% of the rest of the world and then stuck around to keep the world stagnant, undeveloped, and dependent on magic-users for hundreds if not thousands of years]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' takes this a step further by showing the "losing" side's own trump card, [[spoiler:Vegnagun, a machina whose destructive power was never used because it could not distinguish friend from foe. [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt One can only imagine would have happened if the two had ever met on the field of battle]]]].

** In ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'', magic and science are actually complimentary forces of the universe, but in ancient times, rampant abuse of their union had almost caused TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, so Earth was divided into two parallel worlds of magic and science, with [[BarrierMaiden the Guardian]] in-between to keep them separated. But some subtle remarks by the BigBad imply something more to it...

** Strangely absent elsewhere though. Thunder god Raiden allies with both martial artists, shamans, police and cyborgs to defend Earthrealm. And while the major villains are ignorant of technology they don't pass down a hand in battle, even a cybernetic one.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'': [[CriminalDoppelganger Shadow Mario]] wields the Magic Paintbrush, which allows him to form portals, [[MookMaker create enemies]], and change his appearance at will; he's normally the Koopa known as Bowser Jr. Mario uses FLUDD, a high-tech pump that not only washes away Shadow Mario's paint, but allows him to hover and propel himself through the air with pressurized water. Strangely, it's implied that both devices were invented by the same person.

* ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilationKingdoms''. The original game has as its backstory the fact that magic-using {{Precursors}} wrecked the world in a magical war, so magic is forbidden. Eventually a Mage Emperor arises, has four children and later disappears: two of his children heavily restrict magic in their kingdoms, the other two embrace it. The trope is played more straight in the sequel ''The Iron Plague'', when a fifth kingdom--founded by the Emperor after he vanished--invades, rejecting magic utterly and using SteamPunk technology.

** The relics of the Titans that created Azeroth are textbook examples of MagicFromTechnology or MagiTek. Some constructs even use computer-like syntax in their dialog. On the flipside, everything related to [[EldritchAbomination the Lovecraftian Old Gods]] is thoroughly magical.

** Given that one of androids was made by a man who [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence sort of became a god]] and others by a MadScientist who [[GodhoodSeeker wants to do the same]], it's hard to tell.

** WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom vs. WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong: Danny became a ghost superhero due to the technology his parents use to catch and contain ghosts. Jake is a descendent of dragons who are the guardians of magical creatures and has magic-based senses. [[spoiler: Science wins, as Danny has survived attacks that overshadow Jake's strongest attack, who also had no defense against being possessed]].

* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', the conflict of worldviews is the reason for friction between the Court and the Wood. Etheric Science (that is, [[MagicAIsMagicA the science of magic]]) is one of the Court's major fields of research from the founding on, 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. But some members of the Court are distrustful and disparaging of magic-users, while magical denizens of Gillitie Wood espouse the 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. In trope terms, it looks like this to start with, but is quickly revealed to be more a case of RomanticismVersusEnlightenment.

* In the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, there are mages who believe that deviser-level science is really a form of magic, and there are scientists who believe that magic is just unexplained but really scientific under the hood. There are badguys who use both, like Korrupt and the Necromancer.

* This becomes a major plot point for Website/ChannelAwesome's third anniversary special, ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights''. [[spoiler:In a kingdom long ago, the king was torn between who to grant his favor towards, the sorcerer Malachite or the alchemist Aeon. Aeon and Malachite dueled and when Aeon won, the king approved of his alchemy and related research, causing science to become the dominant force over the world while magic faded into obscurity. Malachite now sees his gauntlet and the enchanted gemstone on it to regain his full powers and bring down the world of technology.]] Part of this premise is PlayedForLaughs when Malachite accidentally reveals [[spoiler:that he has an iPhone]].

* ''WebVideo/CreamHeroes'' has this as a theme in the ''Kittisaurus Villains'' episode ''Why do Cats ring Bells.'' Lulu and Dodo rely on Chuchu's ability to talk to nature to find the magical snack giving stone (a bell), while Coco and Momo rely on Coco's holographic globe technology to locate the scientific snack giving stone. Both arrive at the same time and begin arguing over the stone, and then over it is scientific or magical.

* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroes'': In the episode "[[Recap/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroesJohnnyStormAndThePotionOfFire Johnny Storm and the Potion of Fire]]," Reed Richards refuses to believe Diablo's magic is anything more that sufficiently advanced technology until he defeats Diablo and yells "HA! TAKE THAT MAGIC!".
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender,'' and its sequel series ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' avert this constantly. Both shows have many examples of benders using machinery and other devices alongside their bending to help them fight. Many machines can only be operated with bending, and new bending techniques can often result in new technologies. Even opening the spirit portals results in new, abet very dangerous forms of tech as spirit energy is extracted and studied.

* This was the motivation for Nickelodeon to make the trilogy of {{crossover}}s between ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Jimmy Neutron]]''. Jimmy, despite seeing Cosmo, Wanda, Fairy World as a whole, and several magical feats preformed, still flat out refuses to believe magic has anything to do with it in the first one. In the second crossover and the comics published in ''Magazine/NickelodeonMagazine'', he accepts magic, but argues with Timmy over which is the best.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', Wade pulls a ReversePolarity on an out of control magical effect through good old science and technology.
* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is filled with [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]], {{evil sorcerer}}s, and all kinds of [[MacGuffin magic artifacts]], but it also has [[TheMenInBlack Section 13]] running around trying to fight them with advanced technology. Unfortunately for their leader Captain Augustus Black, the crotchety old man known only as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Uncle]] is quite right in his insistence that ''"[[TakesOneToKillOne magic must defeat magic]]"'' throughout the series. Then again, as a powerful practitioner of the righteous counterpart to these [[TheDarkArts dark arts]], he aught to know. Plus it is [[RunningGag always hilarious]].
* Crops up time to time in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', considering it's a double-whammy of FishOutOfTemporalWater and a slow breaking of the Masquerade.
** It turns out, science and magic are actually quite effective against one another, [[FantasyKitchenSink leading to such things as robots, cyborgs, aliens and mutants duking it out with ghosts, monsters, and GODS]]. When not [[FlatEarthAtheist denying the obvious existence of magic]] in the face of things like humanoid monsters that turn to stone during the day, city-spanning mystical effects and the ''king of TheFairFolk'' walking through Manhattan while the size of a skyscraper, the people that actually stop and study magic find it to be rather scientific in its rules and regulations, if not in effects.

** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen Feeling Pinkie Keen]]" reveals the "Pinkie Sense", an ability Pinkie Pie has to predict impending events. Twilight Sparkle refuses to believe this and even drags Pinkie to her SchizoTech filled MadScientistLaboratory to try and disprove it.
** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime It's About Time]]" has a mildly unhinged Twilight declaring that the appearance of her future self is not scientifically possible, until her future doppelganger explains that it's due to one of [[AWizardDidIt Star Swirl the Bearded's]] spells. Then it's all right.

* Averted very frequently historically. In fact, more often than not magic and science were "allies", since both were on the side of progress. Alchemy is the most obvious expression of this.
** This articles shows how often it was averted. http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Science-Versus-Christianity

* In Frazer's ''The Golden Bough'' the author claims that magic is more like science than religion because both assume a universe based on workable universal laws (in a magical universe the gods would effectively be unusually powerful [[TheFairFolk fair folk]], not deities as moderns would understand the concept and in some cosmologies, like the Egyptian, could actually be enslaved by a clever enough magician because they were bound to nature too). Under this idea, magic was just another kind of technology which did seem to work reasonably well; after all every spell designed to bring the death of one's enemy worked, [[FridgeLogic did it not?]] Religion on the other hand was the supplication of beings ''above'' nature. Though of course there was confusion. The difference was that a wizard would conduct a ceremony and assume that the spirit whose help he wanted ''must'' come to his aid. Whereas a priest would conduct a ceremony on the assumption that a given deity had demanded it.
** Fraser also points out that magical traditions are usually perfectly logical-once their premise is accepted. This is often also the case with religion, and [[ReligionIsMagic overlap exists]] at times.

Magic is often seen as the realm of mysticism and a violation of scientific laws. Science is often seen as the realm of materialism and technology. These two realms are often viewed as unresolvable opposites; where magic holds sway, science must fail and where science holds sway, magic must fail. This trope builds on the potential factors that cause a divide between the "science" and "magic" in a work. However, please keep in mind the rules of ClarkesThirdLaw and [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic the inverse law]]; there isn't really a difference between the concepts, except for their presentation in the story.

** In later books it's revealed that magic is an ever changing force and it interferes with technology ''now''. Some hundred years ago it made milk sour rapidly and caused people to break out with boils and warts. And this phenomenon only applies to human wizards, as other supernatural beings don't cause such interferences at all. Vampires can use the internet, fae can fight with automatic weapons, etc. [[spoiler:which results in a huge WhamLine at the end of ''Cold Days.'']]

Compare the following tropes: DoingInTheWizard for when seemingly magical manifestations are explained as science. DoingInTheScientist for when scientific anomalies are later explained as magic. MaybeMagicMaybeMundane for when the phenomenon is inadequately explained either way and the characters just can't tell. NatureVersusTechnology, where the fantastic elements of the natural world clash with ScienceFiction achievements. FantasticScience for when the scientist begins to make magic their field of study. PostModernMagik for when the magic takes cues from technology. Contrast ScientificallyUnderstandableSorcery where the magic and science use the same rules but different energy sources and methods, and SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic where magic is treated as a science.

Compare the following tropes: DoingInTheWizard for when seemingly magical manifestations are explained as science. DoingInTheScientist for when scientific anomalies are later explained as magic. MaybeMagicMaybeMundane for when the phenomenon is inadequately explained either way and the characters just can't tell. FantasticScience for when the scientist begins to make magic their field of study. PostModernMagik for when the magic takes cues from technology. Contrast ScientificallyUnderstandableSorcery where the magic and science use the same rules but different energy sources and methods, and SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic where magic is treated as a science.

* '''Magic is Mysterious''': Magic [[ScienceIsWrong follows no rules at all]], therefore [[ScienceCannotComprehendPhlebotinum science will never be able to explain it.]] This scenario tends to work best with Wild Magic (the magic is released by the mage, but not controlled) and Theurgy ([[ReligionIsMagic the divine being decides what spell is cast]]). The concept does not follow logically from magic gained from study, becoming an [[InformedAttribute Informed Trait]].

* In 10ton's ''Tesla vs. Lovecraft'', Nikolai Tesla with his MiniMecha, {{Energy Weapon}}s and MadScience is fighting H.P. Lovecraft and his SummonMagic. The reason for this fight was [[LuddWasRight arch-conservative Lovecraft]] took issue with Tesla unveiling a [[JustThinkOfThePotential new-fangled power source for the world]].

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'': [[CriminalDoppelganger Shadow Mario]] wields the Magic Paintbrush, which allows him to form portals, [[MookMaker create enemies]], and change his appearance at will; he's normally the Koopa known as Bowser Jr. Mario uses FLUDD, a high-tech pump that not only washes away Shadow Mario's paint, but allows him to hover and propel himself through the air with pressurized water. Strangely, it's implied that both devices were invented by the same person.
* ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourneySaga'':
** In ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'', magic and science are actually complimentary forces of the universe, but in ancient times, rampant abuse of their union had almost caused TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, so Earth was divided into two parallel worlds of magic and science, with [[BarrierMaiden the Guardian]] in-between to keep them separated. But some subtle remarks by the BigBad imply something more to it...
** In ''VideoGame/DreamfallTheLongestJourney'', some of the most advanced technologies like FasterThanLight travel ceased to function after restoring the Guardian to his post, implying that it was actually magic.
** In ''VideoGame/DreamfallChapters'', the Azadi [[SteamPunk steam]] [[SufficientlyAdvancedBambooTechnology computer]] causes disturbances to senses of magical races, driving some of them out of the city. [[spoiler:It's implied that this computer actually manipulates the [[RealityWarper power of dreams]], underlying magic, science, and reality itself.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Silverfall}}'' has a rather annoying variant of the KarmaMeter which unlocks abilities the farther out you are toward the extreme ends of the nature vs. technology scale. As a result, anything approaching rational behavior is punished, as you're given more options as a nature-lover by performing acts of terrorism on technologists, and as a technology-lover, by committing ultimately pointless acts of ecosystem devastation.

* Both averted and played straight in ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}''. Albionian Magic and Terran science are merely two aspects of the greater whole, that are in continuous conflict with each other. The only differences are that Terran technology uses energy from matter and is based on well definable principles, while magic energy from one's spirit, and is governed by more abstract and undefinable laws. That said, It's actually possible for someone to cast a spell using nuclear energy, [[spoiler:and incidentally, the player's ultimate goal involves just this]].
* ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilationKingdoms''. The original game has as its backstory the fact that magic-using {{Precursors}} wrecked the world in a magical war, so magic is forbidden. Eventually a Mage Emperor arises, has four children and later disappears: two of his children heavily restrict magic in their kingdoms, the other two embrace it. The trope is played more straight in the sequel ''The Iron Plague'', when a fifth kingdom--founded by the Emperor after he vanished--invades, rejecting magic utterly and using SteamPunk technology.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games sometimes invoke this trope. Villains often see themselves as championing one side or the other (or the combination in Magitek), but the good guys are usually willing to use both science ''and'' magic, with a healthy respect for both.
** The one that likely embodies this most is ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. The villians are the corporation Shinra, the EldritchAbomination from the stars Jenovah and the HumanoidAbomination created by Shinra from Jenova's cells Sephiroth. Shinra embodies science and Jenova/Sephiroth are the magic and both abuse the lifestream in their quest for power. The heroes have the respect for both using both technology and materia to stop both sides.
** The backstory of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' includes a massive war between a science and technology based super-power and one based on magic and summoning. The magic users "won" [[spoiler:by turning their entire population into a power source for a weapon of mass destruction which wiped out 90% of the rest of the world and then stuck around to keep the world stagnant, undeveloped, and dependent on magic-users for hundreds if not thousands of years]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' takes this a step further by showing the "losing" side's own trump card, [[spoiler:Vegnagun, a machina whose destructive power was never used because it could not distinguish friend from foe. [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt One can only imagine would have happened if the two had ever met on the field of battle]]]].
* In the PC-98 era of ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', Gensokyo was firmly on the magic side of things, with occasional MadScientist / GadgeteerGenius characters decried as heretics for their focus on science over magic. However, in the more recent Windows games, science seems to be more widely accepted in Gensokyo, primarily by virtue of the GadgeteerGenius kappa like Nitori, and the efforts of {{Physical God}}dess Kanako Yasaka to bring about an Industrial Revolution. The games are still primarily MagicalGirl {{Shoot Em Up}}s in fantasy Japan, but there's now some SchizoTech thrown in. There's also Patchouli, a magician who considers magic and science to be the same.
* The Red Law vs White Law boils down to this in ''VideoGame/DuelSaviorDestiny''. Red is magic and emotions and White is science and causality. It's extremely difficult to reconcile the two or really grasp both at the same time due to the fundamentally different rules between them and this tends to lead to conflict. While the story follows the perspective of people firmly in the Red camp and White heads the army of monsters, they're actually both equally important to the way the world functions.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'':
** This is a major plot point with the Lin Kuei clan, starting in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'': the Lin Kuei begin to subject their assassins to UnwillingRoboticisation, leading Sub-Zero to rebel against them.
** Strangely absent elsewhere though. Thunder god Raiden allies with both martial artists, shamans, police and cyborgs to defend Earthrealm. And while the major villains are ignorant of technology they don't pass down a hand in battle, even a cybernetic one.
** Also absent for the {{Film/Predator}} in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'': [[spoiler:his kind have no experience with magic, but in his arcade ending, he gladly uses Shinnok's amulet to upgrade his arsenal with {{Magitek}}]].
* In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', ComicBook/{{MODOK}} is adamant that his scientific devices will prevail over the magic powers of some of his adversaries.
-->'''MODOK:''' ''[to Comicbook/IronFist]'' Your chi can never compare to the powers of science!
* ''VideoGame/ShadowRealms'' features the "worlds just work differently" type. On Embra, magic is much stronger than on Earth, not just for native residents but for magic-users who were born on Earth and therefore never had the right environment to fully develop their powers. However, a lot of Earth technology doesn't work (guns being a notable exception). Since Embra has been recruiting from Earth to help defend against a third party, people seem to be figuring out how to use magic and technology alongside each other as best the conditions will allow, and one of the player classes is skilled at channelling magic through Earth weaponry.
* In the backstory of ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'', scientific advancements have cast doubt on the magic of old. The Alchemist Guild tried to stagnate scientific progress, claiming that those who put more faith in Science instead of Magic would instigate a demonic invasion, just so they could retain their prestige and wealth.
* Later games in the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series feature this as a side theme. In [[VideoGame/QuestForGloryIV the fourth game]] a scientist flat-out [[ArbitrarySkepticism refuses to believe in magic]] (even if you're playing a wizard yourself), and in [[VideoGame/QuestForGloryV the fifth game]] the scientists hate/refuse to believe in magic so much that they end up [[spoiler:poisoning all the mages in the game, including the player if he isn't careful]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Ryzom}}'''s two main Religious factions are the science-loving Karavan and the magic-loving Kami, and as par for the course, both sides hate the other's guts.
* In ''Doodle God Blitz'', the second stage of the game has you creating a world with aspects of both, but Doodle God realizes they can't co-exist and splits it into two worlds. The third stage has you developing the scientific world, and the fourth and final stage has you developing the magical world.
* ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}'' has the technology wielding ScienceHero Tinker who displays a condescending attitude toward both magic and its users.
* Averted in Aggressive Games's ''Brightest Kingdom'', your Renaissance fantasy kingdom is in a war against dark forces who have almost wrecked the kingdom. Your government will happily fund the research programs of the Engineering and Wizard guilds equally - after all, a dead Orc is a dead Orc regardless of whether it was killed with magic or a machine gun.
* Underplayed in ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' - The Oldest House, the EldritchLocation in which the game takes place, will not tolerate any technology from later than the 80s, with various devices either disappearing or violently malfunctioning. Likewise, modern technology tends not to become Altered or gain Power. A document that explains this speculates that it takes a while for the newest tech to become sufficiently ingrained in the public unconscious for the Altered World Events to affect them.
* Magic won in the world of ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', as after the discovery of magic and an event known as the Dawn of Revival which caused the failure of all electronic devices on Earth, modern technology was banned outright by the UN. However, said technology (now referred to as Black Tech) is still used and improved in the autonomous FloatingContinent of Zepp, leading to a couple SuperScience users like Potemkin and Robo-Ky in a roster full of magic users, [[KiManipulation ki users]], [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke magically-engineered biological weapons]] and otherwise supernatural beings.
* Averted in ''{{VideoGame/Greedfall}}''. The Bridge Alliance and Thélème are clearly the Science and Magic factions, respectively, but the conflict between them is purely political and economic in nature, and neither side has any objections to using the opponents' tools.
* Done at a symbolic level in ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris Puyo Puyo Tetris 1]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2 2]]'', with Puyo and its associated characters themed on magic, with the bulk of those characters being students and faculty at a MagicSchool; while Tetris and its associated characters themed on technology, with most such characters forming the crew of a starship [[SpaceNomads wandering around the galaxy]]. Together, they reflect the contrasting gameplay between Puyo Puyo and Tetris. The characters initially clash, but they soon get along when both sides find themselves under threat from greater forces.

** The Technocracy originally formed when a group of wizards decided to create a form of magic that was egalitarian and available to all, reduced the power of evil monsters, and was safer for ordinary people. Some players think they eventually [[WellIntentionedExtremist lost track of this fact somewhere along the way]], and others consider them to be an AntiVillain. Written as [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation sympathetic villains]], even the [[WriterOnBoard writers]] have struggled with this one. Later on, they were given enough CharacterDevelopment to make them much more reasonable with it made clear that they for the mpst part do at least want what's best for humanity, and even included rules for playing sympathetic Technocrats hoping to reform the organization rather than break its control.

* In Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt'' series, the world is divided into magically focused Inapt races and technologically adept Apt races. The former can't comprehend any technology more advanced than metallurgy, and can't even put a key in a lock or pull the trigger of a crossbow. The latter, meanwhile, can't comprehend magic. They can perceive its effects, but insist that it's all just trickery. There are subtler differences, too: as one example, Inapt-drawn maps focus on symbolism and significance rather than things like distance or geography, and are naturally dismissed as useless by the Apt, yet the Inapt can navigate by them perfectly fine. The distinction is genetic: Apt parents have Apt children, Inapt parents have Inapt children, and mixed parentage goes either way -- it's impossible to be both, at least in any significant way. One interesting quirk is that Apt and Inapt races are equally skilled at chemistry; despite following wholly different chains of logic, they get the same results.

* In Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt'' series, the world is divided into magically focused Inapt races and technologically adept Apt races. The former can't comprehend any technology more advanced than metallurgy, and can't even put a key in a lock or pull the trigger of a crossbow. The latter, meanwhile, can't comprehend magic. They can perceive its effects, but insist that it's all just trickery. There are subtler differences, too: as one example, Inapt-drawn maps focus on symbolism and significance rather than things like distance or geography, and are naturally dismissed as useless by the Apt, yet the Inapt can navigate by them perfectly fine. The distinction is genetic: Apt parents have Apt children, Inapt parents have Inapt children, and mixed parentage goes either way -- it's impossible to be both, at least in any significant way. One interesting quirk is that Apt and Inapt races are equally skilled at chemistry; despite following a wholly different chain of logic, they get the same results.

* In Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt'' series, the world is divided into magically focused Inapt races and technologically adept Apt races. The former are trapped in MedievalStasis and can't even use a key in a lock or fire a crossbow, while the latter are incapable of comprehending magic. They can perceive its effects, but insist that it's all just trickery. There are subtler differences, too -- as one example, Inapt-drawn maps focus on symbolism and significance rather than things like distance or geography, and are naturally dismissed as useless by the Apt, yet the Inapt can navigate by them perfectly fine. The distinction is genetic: Apt parents have Apt children, Inapt parents have Inapt children, and mixed parentage goes either way -- it's impossible to be both, at least in any significant way.

* In Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt'' series, the magically focused Inapt races can't even use a key in a lock or fire a crossbow, while the technologically adept Apt races are incapable of perceiving magic. They can perceive its effects, but insist that it's all just trickery.

* Done at a symbolic level in ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' and ''Puyo Puyo Tetris 2'', with Puyo and its associated characters themed on magic, with the bulk of those characters being students and faculty at a MagicSchool; while Tetris and its associated characters themed on technology, with most such characters forming the crew of a starship [[SpaceNomads wandering around the galaxy]]. Together, they reflect the contrasting gameplay between Puyo Puyo and Tetris. The characters initially clash, but they soon get along when both sides find themselves under threat from greater forces.

** One of the very last modules produced by ''Creator/{{TSR}}'' was "Tale of the Comet", in which a generic D&D fantasy world becomes caught up in a galactic war between a dying alien race and a relentless mad ArtificialIntelligence determined to wipe out all organic life. The fantasy world (and specifically the PCs) become integral to defeating this AI, called the Overmind, because its robotic forces are highly vulnerable to magic, a force that doesn't work on scientific principles. This doesn't prevent wizards from outfitting themselves with PoweredArmor and {{Energy Weapon}}s donated by the grateful alien Rael, however.

** ComicBook/GhostRider vs. SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}}: Ghost Rider is empowered with supernatural hellish abilities by the demon Zarathos. Lobo has his natural Czarnian physiology and a plethora of technological weapons. [[spoiler:Magic wins, as Lobo had no holy weapons and thus no good way to put down Zarathos for good, while Zarathos had both soul destruction and SoulEating to put down Lobo for good]].