How Advanced Is Medical Knowledge & Tech in Eorzea?

[Kacho_Nacho]

Really, like everything in this game it requires a bit of suspension of disbelief to work, as there is a handy hint in the series title after all. Don't think too much into it.

I love this answer. But, you know, I wouldn't be a storyteller if I didn't think about such things.

I don't recall when and where I came upon this answer to a similar question put to the creators of Dungeons & Dragons: Essentially there is a distinction between knowing how to create a magical effect, and knowing why the spell works in the first place.

In a world where magic is real, it becomes a phenomenon that, by extrapolation, could be studied and investigated scientifically, the way we would do so for physical phenomena in our reality.

Think of it this way: Long before we understood the chemistry and physics of combustion, our ancestors knew how to create fire, and how to use it in a variety of ways, including for warfare. Similarly, our ancestors also knew, by trial and error, which types of herbs and ingredients are best suited for healing various kinds of physical ailments. They may not have known why these methods for creating fire and healing would work, but they certainly knew how to apply them.

This would then be the basis for thinking about the state and level of medical knowledge and technology in Eorzea. For the most part, Eorzean magic-users and practitioners of aetherically enhanced combat probably do not know nor understand the physics and chemistry behind the phenomena they create. Nor would they really need to. All that matters is that they can learn several generations' worth of applied knowledge, and then perhaps expand on such knowledge through further trial and error.

The Garleans, on the other hand, have gone beyond trial and error, to develop scientific methodology. They are very likely forming theories about the physical laws that make magic possible, and it's from this understanding that they are able to develop magitek, an approximation of magical effects through machinery. But even so, the Garleans are amateurs compared to the Allagans, who achieved such mastery over aethero-chemistry, that they were even able to create "airships" capable of interstellar travel.

The closest thing that the Eorzeans have to a "science" of magic is arcanima. The Sharlayans are the foremost authority in this particular field of magic, followed by the arcanists of Limsa Lominsa. I like to think of it as the Eorzean analogy to the differences between "British empiricism" and "continental rationalism" (Hume versus Locke). The Sharlayans, I like to imagine, are the "rationalists" who enjoy thinking about metaphysics, and deriving experiments to test such theories. The Lominsans, on the other hand, are probably more pragmatic, and more interested in the applied aspects of arcanima.

Ultimately, the word "advanced" in the context of a fantasy setting where magic is real needs to be defined differently. The lifestyles of Eorzeans may appear analogous to those of medieval Europe, but in terms of the conveniences and quality of life that Eorzeans enjoy, one could say that they are effectively the equivalent of modern industrial societies in our reality.

After all, why would an Eorzean want to invent an electric lightbulb — one of the "modern" conveniences we Earthlings take for granted — when you have spells or aethero-chemical methods for creating light? Does that make an Eorzean more "primitive" than us, or Garleans for that matter? I think it's really just a matter of perspective.

What an amazing post. Anyone who can work Hume versus Locke into a discussion about fantasy technology is someone I want on my friend list.

With so much magic around, it is certainly the case the average Eorzean takes it for granted, and doesn't think about how it works. This is exactly like people of today are surrounded by so many things that we just use.

Off topic: You mention the Sharlayans. They definitely know their esoteric stuff, don't they?

Without giving away spoilers, there is a series of cutscenes where the Sharlayans go in-depth on magic theory. As someone who uses magic in real life, I have to say I was impressed. With the exception of crystals being fossilized mana, what was presented was a working magic system.