The central definition of magic at use here is that an act is magical to the extent that control is removed from causation. Something went my way, but I didn't directly do anything in order to make it happen, and there's no rational way to ascertain how. It's as if I waved my hands and my will just manifested.
The key is that behind every act of magic is a hidden jungle of complexity that the magical practitioner must master. A wizard masters arcane correspondences, which largely involve study of magical law, which is a rational domain divorced from human intention. If you mumble the words right and have just the right slice of frog lips, then your fireball goes boom. Or your code has to pass the syntax checker before it can get on with semantic evaluation.
A priest masters the domain of human emotion and feeling, learning how to harness these things to earn mastery over divine power. If enough people believe a thing to be true, the truth manifests, called by a higher power into physical expression in the world. Or your startup manages to find funding because YC gave you their stamp of orthodox approval.
You can't dispel magic because that means that there's no longer any complicated domain that we fail to understand but will pay dearly for a guide through it. Any time you have that, the emergent property of people willing to front-load time and effort for later riches and the dramatic flair for making it all look easy will manifest.
The key is that behind every act of magic is a hidden jungle of complexity that the magical practitioner must master. A wizard masters arcane correspondences, which largely involve study of magical law, which is a rational domain divorced from human intention. If you mumble the words right and have just the right slice of frog lips, then your fireball goes boom. Or your code has to pass the syntax checker before it can get on with semantic evaluation.
A priest masters the domain of human emotion and feeling, learning how to harness these things to earn mastery over divine power. If enough people believe a thing to be true, the truth manifests, called by a higher power into physical expression in the world. Or your startup manages to find funding because YC gave you their stamp of orthodox approval.
You can't dispel magic because that means that there's no longer any complicated domain that we fail to understand but will pay dearly for a guide through it. Any time you have that, the emergent property of people willing to front-load time and effort for later riches and the dramatic flair for making it all look easy will manifest.