On magic

Is advanced technology indistinguishable from magic?

In fact, “magic” was the term used by the technology practitioners before the word “technology” came into circulation. Practicing magic was about bending the outside world to human will, and that would mean stepping beyond what’s known. Alchemy, magnetism, biological life — every day magicians would experiment with things they did not understand.

Today, when I stumble upon an arcane piece of knowledge, I get this magical feeling. Hypercomputing. Eye prosthetics. Bayesian networks. Performance-enhancing drugs. Memristors. Every time, my world becomes a little bigger, inviting me to explore, exploit and expand. The magic is still all around us, but one won’t find it by staying within the confines of own world.

Of course, technology is indistinguishable from magic. Technology is magic.