ChrisNGibbs
Acolyte
I've been building a world where magic and technology does exist together in a modern-day setting. I want both sides to be evenly matched with one another. I want to make it possible for this happen.
It may depend on your magic system
For example, instead of airplanes...you would have magic portals
If you actually know what science is and how it works, the concept of "harmonizing science and magic" sounds about as exciting and revolutionary as harmonizing spiral binders and poetry . . . f magic existed as depicted in most fantasy stories, there would be a branch of science dedicated to figuring out just how and why it worked. Scientists would not deny its existance [sic] simply because they had no explanation for it yet - they would spend years, even lifetimes, working on figuring it out.
I do think magic sometimes gets treated as a substitute for modern technology in pre-industrial settings. In which case, you can fairly ask why the author didn't simply choose a modern or futuristic level of technology for their world.Most magic systems people write about these days are essentially the exact same thing as technology anyway. The only difference is that you have to be "special" to use magic most of the time. It's like a geek's wet dream.
Actually, a constructed fantasy world with advanced technology would be interesting to see. The world itself would be wholly fictitious, so it wouldn't be like conventional science fiction which assumes the human characters all descend from Earthlings in the future, but it wouldn't be like orthodox pre-industrial fantasy either. Why don't we see more of that?