I agree with the general idea, just adding on the question of why people would like to learn magic and not science.
I think the most basic difference in how people perceive becoming a wizard vs. becoming a scientist regards the scarcity and status hypothesis of this post.
Magic is usually limited, magic items are rare and magic can usually be done only by wizards. Most powers given than science can be bought at the store, no need to learn how gunpowder works to buy a gun.
Also, when people think about power they think about personal power, like the ability of being able to defeat opponents if you need it or to order people around. The powers science gives aren’t perceived like that, and in fiction the scientist has usually a status difference from the hero that’s more pronounced than the status difference the wizard has from the fantasy hero.
I agree with the general idea, just adding on the question of why people would like to learn magic and not science.
I think the most basic difference in how people perceive becoming a wizard vs. becoming a scientist regards the scarcity and status hypothesis of this post.
Magic is usually limited, magic items are rare and magic can usually be done only by wizards. Most powers given than science can be bought at the store, no need to learn how gunpowder works to buy a gun.
Also, when people think about power they think about personal power, like the ability of being able to defeat opponents if you need it or to order people around. The powers science gives aren’t perceived like that, and in fiction the scientist has usually a status difference from the hero that’s more pronounced than the status difference the wizard has from the fantasy hero.