I don't think the tech in Dune runs on magic, it's just some of the abilities people like the Bene Gesserit have is basically magic. Even that's kinda explained by thousands of years of breeding programs and crazy amounts of training, but sure it's basically magic. But the tech is just tech. It's just that their tech is weird because it's illegal to use computers.

For example space folding is done by Navigators who used spice simply because they didn't have the computers needed to do the complex calculations. Later the Ixians make devices that can do those same calculations without the need for mutant human-worms living in a vat of spice.

[–] yetiftw@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago (2 children)

have you read the books? there is a passage where Duncan (it might've been miles teg, it's been a second) acknowledges that no one in the dune universe actually knows how space folding works. they know what the equations are, but not how they actually function

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago

They know that folding space works according to a model that's supported by empirical evidence. That's about as science as it gets.

If some deeper understanding of the metaphysical nature of the universe were required for FTL travel, that would be magic. But that's not the case, they have an equation that works, and they can use it without even knowing why it works.

We built airplanes, broke the sound barrier and put people on the moon when our theories of aerodynamics couldn't explain how a bumble bee could fly. Would you consider airplanes that were built without a complete understanding of aerodynamics to be magic?

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

That is eminently believable speaking as an engineer. Often the equations presage the understanding of why things work