What Makes a Great Magic System?

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

The point is, however that even though the disciplines actually are connected they are not the same and it is not a matter of chemistry being wrong and physics right or vice versa. The difference between chemistry and physics is not a misunderstanding. While both are part of a unified whole, you can say the same about every single thing and force in the universe.

Well, while nuclear physics and chemistry are not exactly the same thing, they are pretty related--more so than, say, Astronomy and Astrology. Importantly, they (physics and chemistry) are understood and harnessed using the same scientific approach. I like the idea of magic being someting that wizards can experiment with so as to make use of it with predictable outcomes due to what amounts to a scientific understanding of it. Others could harness it without really understanding it in the same way.