Harry Potter: Fantasy or Sci-Fi?

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 14057

Pippin:"Good point. The wizards are using scientific 
understanding...or are they? How do we know it's not magical 
understanding? Could a Muggle or a Squib discover the twelve uses of 
dragon's blood, or produce an anti werewolf potion? I think not. One 
could write  about the attempt of a non-magical person to deal with 
the magical world by means of scientific understanding, and that 
would indeed be science fiction."

I would argue that your definitions of "science", "science fiction," 
and "scientific understanding" are narrow ones. The marvel of the 
world is not diminished at all by an attempt to understand it, any 
more than the wonder of Mozart is reduced by an understanding of how 
the instruments work.

We have seen that magic in Harry's world is discoverable, and that 
knowledge of it can and is extended.  This is just like any other 
form of scientific inquiry; all that's changed is the starting point. 
So whether we're talking about "scientific" or "magical" 
understanding, the tools are the same. Our 'eclectricity' and plugs 
(all our science and technology) are substitutes for magic that we 
Muggles are forced to use. Magic replaces technology. That wouldn't 
happen in Tolkien's world.