Magical Science? Scientific Magic?

[ThaBenMan]

Magic, easily. Science is just so stuffy and boring in comparison.

Think about it - science says that an object can't travel faster than the speed of light, according to this equation here, blah blah blah...

But magic says, sure, you can run so fast that you end up on the other side of the continent in a few seconds because Senvellas, the God of Travel and Journeys gave you permission to!

 

[ygetoff]

I think they are the same thing. The Internet? what is this wizardry?

Exactly. Any advanced science is pretty much magic.

 

[Kiutu]

I thought it had to do with things combinging both, like Gnomes do in DnD or Dwarves (Dwemer) in Morrowind. Or go major and get involved in Rifts which is like DnD, but Sci-Fi styled. Magic seems more fun though, despite science being well...real. But just magically flying is better than flying in a plane, plus I don't need to worry about dying because of engine failure.

 

[santaandy]

Science, because it's responsible for everything. Magic is not real.

 

[Vrud]

Magic. Science has to make at least some sense. Magic can do fucking anything. ANYTHING.

(It happens to be my not-so-humble opinion that if your science works like magic or your magic works like science, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.)

 

[Alex_P]

Anyway, onto topic. I'm wondering, what is better: Magic or Science?

Well, since magic isn't a real thing, there are many ways to approach it. (I'm going to assume you're talking about regular science rather than fantasy super-science, which is basically magic with more buzzwords and pocket-protectors. Regular science is better.)

I think a world of D&D-style magic is pretty lame. It's basically just science in a world that makes less sense than ours, where great minds spend time figuring out how to wave a feather around to make a djinni appear. The sad thing about stock fantasy is that most of the wizards are less interesting than real-world people who tried to do alchemy.

But you can do other stuff with magic, too. Take magic as imposing your will on the universe, without the spell slots and bat guano and stuff. Being able to make your desires reality is pretty good story-stuff. I like it a lot. It's not a world I myself would want to inhabit, though: static consensus reality is blander, but much safer than a bunch of people all trying to directly impose their will on reality. I'm happy that my world isn't full of monsters from the id. (To be honest, I'd side with the Technocracy in Mage and the Continuum in Continuum/Narcissist, too, because the guys trying to make their own little subjective realities are crazy fucks. But I love the idea of magical will in sword-and-sorcery settings.)

There are other approaches, too. It varies. I'm gonna go with science, though. But magic is a great tool for fantasy storytelling.

-- Alex

 

[TheFacelessOne]

Magic, magic can make some kickass things happen, but like stated before-it doesn't really progress.

But heres a better idea:

Magic...and Science. Cyborgs with the ability to make water elementals. Heh...

 

[Knight Templar]

With Nano-tech I could make people think I have magic, plus science has less holding it back than magic.

But I'd rather fight science with magic, than magic with science.

 

[mrfishyfish]

It seems like (if magic were real) magic is the hare that started out strong in the race and is now fast asleep, and science is the tortise, slowly inching his way to win the race.

In that case I should go with science becasue the tortise wins the race in the end.

 

[justnotcricket]

Science *is* magic =) What was once magic now has scientific explanations, but that doesn't make it any less cool!

 

[traceur_]

science is cool but boring some of the time, but MAGIC totally kicks arse, since magic has no defined limit, so if you go with the more awesome definitions you could control the elements, mind control, enlarge your penis, jedi mind trick some chicks into putting out, so fucking awesome.

 

[Zeromaxx]

UNIIIIIIICORNNNNNNNNNNS

^Yes!

Damn...trying to decide has shaken me to my core. I'd have to say magic though, science takes too long to advance with it's endless experimenting and explaining. If scientists stopped that, and gave me the ability to fly (I'm not too picky on how, maybe geneticly altering me or something) and make me a unicorn or flying polar bear, I'd retract, and change, my answer.