# Stories about Science fighting Magic

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-about-science-fighting-magic/314678>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 29, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-about-science-fighting-magic/314678 "2005-07-29T00:37:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-about-science-fighting-magic/314678/21 "2005-07-29T19:16:37Z")

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> [@DocCathode](#):
>
> There is no magic in the book. Nonspoilers-The church which rules the human race uses advanced science to …

Yeah, but it’s advanced enough that it’s indistinguishable from magic 🙂

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**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-about-science-fighting-magic/314678/22 "2005-07-29T22:03:24Z")

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> [@Biggirl](#):
>
> Somebody already mentioned the Split Infinity series. I liked it, but then again I don’t have Piers Anthony Phobia.

That was a good trilogy (actually known as the Apprentice Adept trilogy). Yes, yes, I know there ended up being 7 books total, but while book 7 was okay, the second trilogy was a good example of “Piers Anthony doesn’t know when to end a good series”.

This one wasn’t really Fantasy against Science, though – just both of them existing together. This was the first Piers Anthony I ever read, BTW – the original trilogy (“Split Infinity”, “Blue Adept”, “Juxtaposition”). Very enjoyable.

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**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-about-science-fighting-magic/314678/23 "2005-07-29T22:52:40Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber was the story of a professor (in logic?) who discovered his wife (as well as many other women) were practicing witches.

Great book. Just wanted to note that in the book,

not just some women are witches… _all_ women are witches. Every one, all over the world. One of Leiber’s truly great premises.

I guess we should note the “Incomplete Enchanter” stories by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, in which it’s possible (by using symbolic logic) to travel to various worlds, each of which has its own magical physics. In those worlds, technology from our world may not work because it doesn’t fit into the set of mental assumptions of the other world; but a person from our world can use scientific logic to figure out how to efficiently use the magical principles of the other world.

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