[DJHARKAVY]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

But even if we reformulate it to say something like "A really really advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," it's still not true. It's not true because rationalist, technological societies fundamentally understand how technology works and will consider very advanced technology to be...very advanced technology. Something that can be explained by science, not by magic, even though they might not understand the science.

Of course, if you show a more superstitious society a piece of advanced technology, they may well believe that it is magic. Although they may also believe that magic makes the rain come, or keeps a dragon from eating the sun during a total eclipse, since they don't understand those mechanisms, either.

I use this as a distinction.

What is the difference between technology and magic? Magic is beyond our ability to explain. We say the right words, we make the right gestures and and the thing happens. But we can't explain it.

We can explain technology. We know what happens with it, and why the gestures do what they do.

For many people computers are essentially magic. They have no idea how they work, beyond the question of plugging it into the wall, pushing the power button and clicking the right icons.

For some people electricity is magic. For others, both are clearly technology.

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

So maybe it should be rewritten as "People who are inclined to explain things that they don't understand as magic will explain tech that they don't understand as magic." Not as exciting a quote, of course.

Or perhaps it should be written to state that 'that which we cannot explain is magic.'