I concur on “do what I want” as the distinction. Magic is teleological: it produces a certain effect, whereas science is about the cause. Magic “just works.” You do not need to know how the magic words produce light or fire, they just do. The great usual magical dream is about having massive power under your control, not whether you are the direct cause. Wishes are the archetypal example. You wish for something and it happens. Done. A genie is neither you nor a tool you control, just a massive source of power bound to your wishes.
Magical horror stories are about wishing for effects and either not liking the cause or not specifying the effect properly, like the evil genie or the monkey’s paw. Science horror stories are about starting a cause without realizing its effects.
There are plenty of science-like magical stories, where they delve into the rules of magic and effects from causes. And don’t those read a lot more like science fiction, whereas a space opera like Star Wars has the trappings of science fiction but Jedi are just space wizards that produce effects by willing them.
I concur on “do what I want” as the distinction. Magic is teleological: it produces a certain effect, whereas science is about the cause. Magic “just works.” You do not need to know how the magic words produce light or fire, they just do. The great usual magical dream is about having massive power under your control, not whether you are the direct cause. Wishes are the archetypal example. You wish for something and it happens. Done. A genie is neither you nor a tool you control, just a massive source of power bound to your wishes.
Magical horror stories are about wishing for effects and either not liking the cause or not specifying the effect properly, like the evil genie or the monkey’s paw. Science horror stories are about starting a cause without realizing its effects.
There are plenty of science-like magical stories, where they delve into the rules of magic and effects from causes. And don’t those read a lot more like science fiction, whereas a space opera like Star Wars has the trappings of science fiction but Jedi are just space wizards that produce effects by willing them.