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Do wizards think of what they do as magic?

I do agree with Queshire: magic that can't be explained or improved at all is not that interesting or effective as a dramatic device, IMHO.
In those situations, the magic serves a different purpose in the story though. In Soft Magic systems, the magic isn't there to provide solutions, it's there to provide worldbuilding, tone, and wonder. It's Sanderson's First law:

An author's ability to solve conflict with magic in a statisfying way is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic.

If you want to solve the climax of your book with magic, then you need to make sure the reader understands said magic. However, if that's not the goal, then the reader can just know it's there.

Also, a reader doesn't need to know all parts, just some is fine.

Look at Star Wars Episode 4, A New Hope. Luke Skywalker blows up the deathstar using the force. As viewer, we no almost zero about the force. The only thing we know is that it's some ancient force which can guide your movements, but that you need to accept it and believe in it. That's all we need to know and it creates an amazing climax when he decides to accept and use this mysterious force. Personal opinion, there's nothing dumb there.

Gandalf is the same somewhat. He's basically an angel doing divine stuff. We don't know the extent of his power or knowledge. However, we don't need to. Why? Because Gandalf doesn't solve anything important with magic. Maybe his fight with the balrog. But most of the big moments in the books, Gandalf either doesn't use magic, or he's vey much absent. He's there to provide a sense of wonder, talk people into getting off their ass and doing things, and as a mentor to make the hobbits feel small, not to do magic. We don't know, we can't know, and that's fine because we don't need to.

That is very different from a story like Mistborn. If that didn't have a hard magic system, where the reader knows exactly what is and isn't possible, then the book simply wouldn't work.
 
My answer is the same: You live in such a world and we still have both terms.
I don't know how to further explain my point without directly addressing this, and I really don't want to get into a debate about real world religious beliefs.

So I'm just going to drop this and leave it alone.

Again, apologies if I annoyed you.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Apology accepted, though I was not annoyed, and there is no need. No one is required to agree with me.
 

Dylan

Scribe
Magic is generally used as a descriptor from someone outside of the realm of understanding of a thing or phenomena, in my mind at least. Since wizards, sorcerers, and the like know what they're doing, would they consider what they're doing as magic? What would they even call it if they didn't call it magic? Is there a technical term in history that might be used?
For context: I have been building a science fantasy setting for a novella series that's heavily inspired by the likes of Robert Jordan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Christopher Ruocchio: a world where high technology, Da Vinci's inventions, and of course swords and sorcery all live together. I haven't totally decided on whether or not the magic/power system would be connected to the technology, but I am embracing the idea of a sort of "intellectual revolution" applied to the magical practices. I wanted to come up with a term for this emergent mode of thinking as applied to magic, like how chemists came from alchemists, who came from the hermetics.
That’s a solid question! If wizards fully understand their craft, they might see it more as a science or an art rather than “magic.” Maybe they’d call it arcane engineering, or something fitting their intellectual revolution, kind of like how alchemy evolved into chemistry. Your setting sounds like a wild mix of wonder and logic, which makes me think the terminology should reflect that fusion of old mysticism and new understanding.
 
In societies where it's not referred to as "magic", it's probably thought of as their science (e.g. Stormlight Archive), or religious practices (gifts from the gods).
 

Dylan

Scribe
In societies where it's not referred to as "magic", it's probably thought of as their science (e.g. Stormlight Archive), or religious practices (gifts from the gods).
True! Magic often gets rebranded as science or religion depending on the society. In Stormlight Archive, it’s all about the science of Stormlight, while in other worlds, it’s divine gifts or rituals. It’s a cool way to ground "magic" in the culture and make it feel real. Love how fantasy plays with these perspectives.
 
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