Muggle Technology Is Better Than Magic In Harry Potter (But I Finally Understand Why Wizards Don’t Use It)

Wizards in Harry Potter don’t need Muggle technology because they have magic, but this tradeoff has never seemed quite fair to me. At Hogwarts and wizarding households, it typically looks a tad medieval. Rather than fountain pens, ink and quills are used. Instead of electric lights, wizards read and work by candle (or wand) light. In many cases, this makes complete sense, since Muggles have invented such technologies for the kind of convenience that magic has already achieved. However, at a certain point, I think that non-magical inventions have begun to outdo the hocus pocus.

On Wizarding World, author J.K. Rowling explained that a witch or wizard might discover the internet, but they would likely only surf the web out of “condescending curiosity, or else doing research in the field of Muggle Studies.” While this itself isn’t discussed in the Harry Potter books or movies, there are several examples of witches and wizards taking no interest in anything Muggles have conceived. Characters like Arthur Weasley are the exception, but even he prefers the convenience of magic over Muggle technology. However, there are some cases where I just can’t be convinced that magic is better.

Some Muggle Technology Is So Much More Convenient Than Magic In Harry Potter

Harry Potter Can’t Trick Us Into Thinking The Internet Wouldn’t Be A Game Changer In The Wizarding World

I’ve always been mildly frustrated with the Harry Potter series since there are several ways that Muggle technology would make life in the wizarding world so much easier. The internet is, of course, a prime example. In the 1990s, when Harry’s story was set, email was still a thing, and even instant communication through dial-up would have been faster than sending an owl back and forth. Pens and paper are far more convenient than quill, ink, and parchment—especially since most wizarding quills aren’t magical.

This line of thought always leads me to consider the Muggle-born students in Harry Potter. I imagine that some of the kids who were raised in the non-magical world and attended school with Harry would have been rather disappointed that they couldn’t bring their Nintendo Game Boy to Hogwarts or that they would miss the latest episodes of their favorite shows. It certainly seems that, after telling their peers about these forms of entertainment, magical children would be eager to learn more about video games and TV. However, I realize there is a reasonable explanation for why they might not.

Wizarding Prejudice Against Muggles Explains Why They Wouldn’t Use Their Technology

The Lack Of Muggle Technology Plays Into The Themes Of Harry Potter

While Rowling maintained that witches and wizards had no use for Muggle technology, she also mentioned on Wizarding World that magical culture has something to do with the why of it all. It’s evident throughout Harry Potter that there is a great deal of normalized prejudice against Muggles in the wizarding world. Non-magical folk are considered lesser and simple. Even Mr. Weasley, who detests pure-blood ideology, was often a touch condescending when discussing Muggle technology, calling their inventors clever in the same way someone might encourage a child.

I now realize that the implicit biases of the wizarding world mean that, even if a Muggle device would be more convenient than the magical option, witches and wizards wouldn’t bother trying it. It’s an example of prejudice and implicit feelings of superiority holding a culture back. If the wizarding world were to accept and embrace Muggles, magical communities could become better and stronger. I find this subtle messaging in Harry Potter quite clever. The fact that Muggle technology would be better than some magical solutions is often called a Harry Potter pothole, but it’s actually just further reinforcement of Harry Potter‘s themes.

There Are Some Exceptions To Wizards Using Muggle Technology (& They Totally Make Sense)

Even Pure-Blood Wizards Chose To Ignore Their Prejudice For Some Things

Of course, there are examples of Muggle technology adopted by the magical world. The Hogwarts Express itself is a steam engine, which is a non-magical invention. Magical households are also likely to have a radio tuned into a wizarding frequency, and these are clearly adopted from the Muggle wireless. Even Hogwarts’ indoor plumbing is an example of Muggle technology that found its way into the magical world. It seems that, despite prejudice, witches and wizards made a few exceptions over the centuries.

When looking at all the Muggle inventions the magical community adopted, I see a common denominator—luxury. While using Muggle conveniences would have been like admitting that magic was lesser-than, it seems that even many pure-blood wizards couldn’t say no to comfort. Wizards couldn’t continue using outhouses (or simply magicking away their mess, as Rowling once said) while Muggles used sparkling indoor toilets—what kind of message would that send? Ultimately, wizards of Harry Potter only used such technology when it began to make Muggles look better than them, and I find that painfully on brand.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Tom Felton , Alan Rickman , Matthew Lewis , Bonnie Wright , Evanna Lynch , Maggie Smith , Michael Gambon , Richard Harris , Ralph Fiennes , Helena Bonham Carter , Alfred Enoch , Harry Melling , Gary Oldman , Robert Pattinson , Warwick Davis , Oliver Phelps , James Phelps , David Bradley , David Thewlis , Katie Leung , Jason Isaacs , Imelda Staunton , David Tennant , Jamie Campbell Bower , Timothy Spall , Robbie Coltrane , Eddie Redmayne , Jude Law , Katherine Waterston , Ezra Miller , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Johnny Depp , Mads Mikkelsen

Character(s)

Harry Potter , Hermione Granger , Ron Weasley , Dumbledore , Minerva McGonagall , Rubeus Hagrid , Dobby the House Elf , Draco Malfoy , Sirius Black , Ginny Weasley , Voldemort

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