Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Difference between revisions

For a [[The Verse|verse]] where [[Magic A Is Magic A]], this is an inherently [[Justified Trope]] just as long as it makes sense for the culture: Empirical evidence and experimentation are the cornerstone of [[The Scientific Method]], and there is no reason that it should be any less effective at discovering the details of a self-consistent series of rules just because it's called "magic" rather than "physics".

 

 

A subtrope of [[Fantastic Science]]. Compare and contrast [[The Spark of Genius]]. For the sake of general cohesion, anything that more or less works thanks to magic but isn't actually [[Magic by Any Other Name|called "magic"]] by anyone in the work falls under this trope.

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== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* Most of the alchemists in ''[[Baccano!]]'' were content to discover the secret of alchemy. [[Mad Scientist|Szilard and Huey]], on the other hand, decided to test everything related to it from, "exactly how ''fast'' do I heal from each individual injury?"<ref>Regeneration is variable depending on both the severity of the injury and how many times it's been received before. The more times you've had your head blown off, the faster it reconstructs itself.</ref> to "can I combine human and dolphin DNA to create a viable homunculus?"<ref>Yes.</ref>

* In ''[[Code Geass]]'', this is how Lelouch takes to his Geass power after an awkward situation with Kallen where he first realizes it has limitations- namely, that it won't work on the same person more than once. Before making serious use of it again, he conducts several tests on random students to see what other limitations it has.

* In ''[[Dungeon Keeper Ami]]'' Ami's main advantage, other than her taking knowledge from her own world, is her scientific approach to magic and all the innovations she can make, especially with teams of research warlocks.

* The "Unified Theory of Magic" from "Warriors' World" in ''[[Drunkard's Walk]]'' is this to a T -- the missing part of the [[wikipedia:Grand Unified Theory|Grand Unified Theory]], it reconciles magic with physics, and explains how a thousand different traditions, schools and styles of magic from as many cultures all work despite frequently contradicting each other. It also provides the tools to translate spells from one system to another, or render them in a "system-neutral" form that can then be "compiled" later into the style of one's choice. It even has a formalized notation system which can be used for spell design and magical analysis. The only thing it doesn't handle is [[Functional Magic|Theurgy]] -- for that, they've got the Research and Applied Theology fields.

 

== [[Film]] ==

* Derk's forte in ''[[Dark Lord of Derkholm]]''. He magically engineers plants and animals in his spare time, winding up with things like winged pigs, invisible cats, extraordinarily stupid cows and highly intelligent geese, and griffin children, who share the DNA of both him and his wife, along with whatever else he made them out of. (One is part house cat, while another is part actual lion, another has goose DNA, another uses actual eagle, etc.)

* A [[Zig-Zagging Trope]] in ''[[Discworld]]'': Magic changes its rules randomly in response to scientific study, still the Wizards in the High Energy Magic building have managed to start working out the laws governing how it changes. (Apparently it has something to do with "quantum".)

{{quote|It's all very well a potion calling for Love-in-idleness, but which of the thirty-seven common plants called by that name in various parts of the continent was actually ''meant''?

The reason that Granny Weatherwax was a better witch than Magrat was that she knew that in witchcraft it didn't matter a damn which one it was, or even if it was a piece of grass.

The reason that Magrat was a better doctor than Granny was that she thought it did. }}

** Of course, none of this is helped by the fact that a lot of it works the way it does [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe|because they believe it works that way]].

* The ''[[Heralds of Valdemar]]'' series has a newly created school of magical theoreticians, who use geometry to work out what the effects of various bits of magic will be. There's some degree of conflict between them and the actual mages, who take a much more intuitive approach. As the ''Mage Storms'' series reaches its climax, it's conceded by even the most diehard "intuitionists" that the theoreticians have a point, and that their research works.

 

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