Is WOT Magic really Magic ?

[Dan G]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology would appear to be Magic."

We know from WOT that much of the technology discovered from the Age Of Legonds is not understood even by expert channelers 

And even in the Age of Legonds only a small percentage of the population was able to channel  the one power. 

Based on this it seems that the magical system in WOT is much closer to the Stargate franchise where a few individuals can interface with Anchent tech than something like Harry Potter which is more focused on the specific elements and organic components like the type of wood a wand is made from. 

So, can WOT Channeling be considered Magic on its face value 

or more a very technology based system being described by unreliable narration by those in the Third Age?

Edited July 22 by Dan G
Typo

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

Technology is an object.

 

Ter'angreal you could look at as technology or magical items, I would argue. Actually manipulating and channeling the source is objectively magic, that is using your mind to control supernatural energies.

 

But then is researching the Power scientific and technological, or is practicing magic, well, magic? Or indeed both would be my answer. Channeling uses an innate ability, not a substance or technique or machine. But it can be used in technology powered by the Power.

[Samt]

It's clear that during the AoL, the one power was studied in much the same way that we study electromagnetism or gravity.  It's a characteristic of the universe that can be understood and harnessed for various uses.  In that way, I would say that it is much like science more than magic.  However, if the people of the AoL were aware that the one power was caused by some ancient/alien technology, then certainly LTT and the forsaken would have been in the know.  And we don't get any indication that they know this.  

 

Of course, as was mentioned, the obvious question that the world being cyclic and our world being in one of the ages raises is, where is the one power in our world.  However, I think the simplest explanation is that the gene for channeling (and I think it's clear from the books that it is a gene) goes extinct and mutates back in through different parts of the cycle.  That does seem unlikely, but if the wheel wills it...  On the other hand, it seems to be the case that the ability to channel is also partly associated with a soul.  That would mean that 'channeling' souls wait out the non-channeling ages in Tel.  

[Dan G]

2 hours ago, Samt said:

It's clear that during the AoL, the one power was studied in much the same way that we study electromagnetism or gravity.  It's a characteristic of the universe that can be understood and harnessed for various uses.  In that way, I would say that it is much like science more than magic.  However, if the people of the AoL were aware that the one power was caused by some ancient/alien technology, then certainly LTT and the forsaken would have been in the know.  And we don't get any indication that they know this.  

 

Of course, as was mentioned, the obvious question that the world being cyclic and our world being in one of the ages raises is, where is the one power in our world.  However, I think the simplest explanation is that the gene for channeling (and I think it's clear from the books that it is a gene) goes extinct and mutates back in through different parts of the cycle.  That does seem unlikely, but if the wheel wills it...  On the other hand, it seems to be the case that the ability to channel is also partly associated with a soul.  That would mean that 'channeling' souls wait out the non-channeling ages in Tel.  

Perhaps in our current age, a select community has knowledge of the one power but has made a choice to keep it hidden. Somewhat like the magical community in Harry Potter keeping their existence a secret from us Muggles. 

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

It was studied, but to liken the Power to a natural force seems too simplistic. We cannot control gravity with our minds.

 

At the moment anyway. The Aes Sedai also seem to know far too much about things like the Age Lace and the metaphysical reality beyond what we can experience. So the Power, while it can be studied with the scientific method is still very far removed from natural science. 

 

The ability to channel is supposed to be hereditary, but that is only a theory and the body swapping is confusing. Halima gets a whole new DNA but his soul can still channel saidin. But Rand, the most powerful channeler of all time cannot channel in a body Ishamael could. Which means, er, well...

[books of Robert Jordan]

From the outside it looks like magic, from the inside it's science.