Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Difference between revisions

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[[Sufficiently Analyzed Magic]] is a philosophy, whenever you find wizards, witches, sorcerers or mages who decide that lore and intuition is not enough: They want to understand how magic works and will do so through empirical evidence and experimentation. You have the beginnings of [[Sufficiently Analyzed Magic]].
 
For a [[The Verse|verse]] where [[Magic aA 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".
 
One of the many sides arguing over [[Un-Equal Rites]]. Contrast with [[Magic Versus Science]] where this attitude belongs only to the scientists, and [[Flat Earth Atheist]], where fans of "science" will loudly [[Science Cannot Comprehend Phlebotinum|deny magic exists rather than accept empirical evidence]]. Not quite related to [[Magitek]] or [[Post-Modern Magik]] but may show up alongside either or cause them. Compare to [[Doing in the Wizard]], [[Doing in the Scientist]], and [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]].
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** [[Eberron]] is pretty much based on this.
* Comes up in several ''[[GURPS]]'' books dealing with magic, notably in ''Magic and Thaumatology''.
* [[Magic aA Is Magic A|The way magic works in]] ''[[Exalted]]'' fits in perfectly with this philosophy, and the most powerful users of magic in the First Age (who, incidentally, are called sorcerer-''engineers'') had a decidedly empirical approach to their craft... to the extent that they harnessed the power of faith, magic, and technology to create the factory-cathedrals, the greatest workshops ever created in any universe. That's right, they actually analyzed the relationship between gods and their worshippers and used it to power [[Magitek]] assembly lines.
* Hermetic mages in ''[[Shadowrun]]'' take this approach as opposed to the more intuitive "magic as art/religion" approach of shamans.
* ''[[Nephilim]]'' refers to magical techniques (e.g. Sorcery, Summoning, Alchemy, Necromancy) as "occult sciences" and states that the human understanding of "magic" is simply a silly superstition.