On the nature of magic, A thesis Options

[FXcalibur]

I've just gotten my hands on MiTS, and it's a pretty interesting read, moreso than I found man and machine to be :) I'm curious on the nature of magic though, and I think I've come up with an idea of how it's supposed to work.

I think magic is simply raw power; if you're awakened, you have access to this power. As a mage (or shaman, or adept) grows, and once he discovers his power, it's up to him to make sense of it to empower himself. What do I mean? Well, shamans - Their totems come to them in dreams, right? But they choose you because of your characteristics. Mages, different ways and theories of casting magic, but they still get that same fireball out.

What I think is that logic and belief is what supports magic. The more you research your theories on magic, the more evidence you throw behind it, make it more stable, the absolute and powerful, and undeniable it becomes.

And since logic and belief is what drives magic, this is probably why awakened madmen are said to be so dangerous. If you're not bound by the laws of logic anymore, you can do practically anything.

There are probably holes in this theory, and MiTS might already have covered it, but still... :)