I’d like to start this by suggesting that you watch a short YouTube video called Game of Thrones: Why Dragons Halt Progress. (Bear with me, this is relevant!) It’s not necessary to understand this blog post, but it is part of what sparked my thoughts on this subject. I’ll link it here (be warned, there are some mild spoilers for later events in GoT): https://youtu.be/PDdKmx0PW7s
If you did not watch the video, here’s a summary. Gunpowder/cannons –> need for larger armies –> need for money to pay for those armies –> more efficient taxation to get more money –> more centralized government to more efficiently collect taxes –> nation-state and end of the Middle Ages. However, in GoT, this process is stopped by the presence of dragons, who cannot be beaten by a larger army. Instead, the lords of Westeros pledged allegiance to the people controlling the dragons, meaning there was no incentive for larger armies, etc. etc., and no creation of the nation-state. Thus, GoT is stuck in the Middle Ages perpetually. At least, that’s what the guy in the video says.
So, how is this relevant to Harry Potter? Well, we discussed in class the question of why the magical world in these books is represented as a medieval-esque world. Many of the ideas we discussed are, I believe, completely valid, but most of them hinge on it being Rowling’s decision as the world’s creator in order to further her intended themes and enhance the reader’s experience.
I’d like to propose another theory. As the dragons do in Game of Thrones, I think that magic itself has halted the progress of the wizarding world. Who needs electricity, or modern transportation, or even bombs and guns, when you have magic to do it for you? Vacuums are rendered irrelevant in the face of cleaning spells like Scourgify, and even looms are probably unnecessary–Hermione learns to knit using magic, so I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that one could weave magically as well. Magic is quicker, cleaner, and easier than the muggle way. Plus, it’s clear that many wizards, though they may not all have nefarious intentions toward muggles, believe that muggles are somewhat ridiculous and inferior due to their lack of magic. This, combined with the Statute of Secrecy (the law that keeps wizards from revealing magic to muggles and led to a distinct separation between their societies) which a Harry Potter wiki tells me was signed in 1692, combined with the comparative ease of magic, leads to the practical conclusion that the wizarding community just never saw the point in modernizing along with the muggle world.
In this sense, the wizarding world being medieval could be seen as less of an artistic choice and more of an inevitability. Do I think that Rowling had this in mind when she created the world for her book series? Not really, no. But it’s interesting to think about.
Getting Medieval 
I agree with the logic behind the video’s and your reasoning for lack of technology. It is an interesting way to think about it. Also another reason I can think of for them not to have it is to teach the students how to use magic. This forces the people in the magical world to use magic to simple things technology does. There fore teaching them more and making the dependent on magic which would be the best way to learn.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting! I hadn’t thought of that–forcing dependence on magic. There are some social connotations that go along with that, particularly regarding muggleborns who would be somewhat disadvantaged at the start. Considering the political structure/climate of the wizarding world this would not surprise me.
LikeLike
Similar to David’s post, you make the point that wizards do not use modern technology which I don’t believe is entirely true. Outside of Hogwarts there is an abundance of modern technology such as the home Lily and James Potter live in and the train that takes students to Hogwarts. I certainly agree that the use of magic impedes the need to innovate but this is not to say that more efficient methods employed by muggles are to be ignored. Hogwarts retains the use of candles and seemingly outdated methods, yet this shouldn’t be taken as they simply never use them. I feel that yes Hogwarts never modernized but this is likely for more aesthetic reasons rather than practical and that wizards will certainly adapt to modern technology when available and use their powers to make these innovations even simpler. If it requires less human labor, it likely saves time in magical labor.
LikeLike
I don’t think I explained as well as I could have. I meant more that wizards adapt the technology that they want but ignore what is not helpful to them. Also, this was referring to pure-bloods like the Malfoys and even the Weasleys to an extent, more than others/those living among muggles. That being said, you make a good point; Hogwarts shouldn’t be the model for amount of technology present in the wizarding world. I didn’t take into account that Hogwarts is significantly more medieval than normal wizard homes, and I agree this is probably aesthetic.
LikeLike
I also think it was just a Hogwarts ideology to leave out muggle technology in exchange for a more tightly knit community and more concentrated learning experience for learning wizards. That being said, I do not think that magic halted technology at Hogwarts, it was simply an institutional strategy to immerse the wizards. A good support for this has already been said. Many wizard homes have the technology of light bulbs, electricity, and other appliances – especially since wizards must blend in with the muggles and avoid suspicion.
LikeLike
While I do agree that my statement was somewhat of a generalization, and that Hogwarts is perhaps not the best example of an average level of “muggle” technology in the wizarding world, I disagree that many wizarding homes had electricity. Maybe some did, especially homes of those wizards who lived in muggle communities, but I think most did not in the books. Why would you pay to have power lines and maybe gas lines for a stove and whatever put in, and then have to pay for the electricity every month, when you could easily solve these issues using magic, and for free? At one point, Arthur Weasley even asks Harry about “eckeltricity”, so clearly there is a disconnect between the two worlds. I imagine that maybe some families had certain useful appliances but powered them with magic? But that’s just my own idea.
The portrayal in the movies shows a much more integrated world than I believe the books do, which is its own discussion, but which I will for now put aside as simply being easier for the filmmakers than having EVERYTHING be magical.
LikeLike
Those are great points. In the books, the wizards could literally have their own communities without the muggles knowing. But in the present, it would be really hard to hide full communities from other human beings – the movies make up for this well by showing a more integrated relationship among muggles and wizards. I don’t think the wizards would worry about payments like the average human. They could just use magic to make money or pay their bills, that would be cool! 🙂
LikeLike
I had an odd thought as I read your comment of leaving out technology to gain a tighter knit community with a focus on studies. It’s quite obvious that in today’s modern world, it can be harder to make a genuine connection with others because of engrossed we can be to our phones . At a basic definition, technology in itself is supposed to aid in helping various day to day tasks. If we apply this definition, then magic can be considered a form of technology. Now, to discuss whether or not it distracts these young wizards is another argument all together (how Harry takes a leave to defeat Voldemort), but now magic brings everyone together (a weird thought if you do accept it to be a form of technology.)
LikeLike
That’s really interesting! I’d never thought that way, but if we say that magic is in place of technology then I guess it would be a kind of technology itself.
LikeLike
You brought up an interesting point about how magic brings the characters together in the books. Your idea about magic being a kind of technology is very relevant too, but I think there is almost two kinds of magic in Harry Potter: the kind that is utilized like technology, for either completing tasks or being used as a weapon, and the more abstract magic that is connected to love. Love has the power to fight back the darkest being ever in existence, Voldemort, and you could also argue that the bond of friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron are what saved their lives in almost every book. Placing Harry Potter’s main conflict in the more Medieval world without modern technology then creates an atmosphere for Rowling to build this metaphor of love being stronger than weapons or hate. Technology is undeniably powerful in our modern world, but love is far more abstract for us. In Harry Potter, love has the same physical power that the more technological, weapon-like magic has, so it is easier for the reader to understand the true power that love and friendship has.
LikeLike
I think this is a very sound argument for why the Wizarding community seems so helpless with modern technology. It is arguable that replacing magic with technology has not been an even exchange as evidence by the speed an email can be sent compared to mail by owl. That being said the fact that there is a wizarding school and classes about the various parts of wizardry makes me think innovation is occurring, just not from a technical standpoint. Innovation looks like new spells being created or new magical creatures being discovered, not be the use of cellphones or the internet. Perhaps the medieval is not so barbaric?
LikeLike
I definitely agree with what you said about innovation. I’m sure it’s happening all the time, it just looks different from what we are used to thinking of as “new inventions.”
LikeLike
From watching The Sorcerer’s Stone, it does often seem like the world of witches and wizards has changed little over the centuries. I would imagine, however, that there continues to be a fair amount of progress and change in this fantastical world. Even the Middle Ages was not a static time before the advent of gunpowder and other technology–cultural innovation was as robust as ever. The realm of Hogwarts, although exhibiting a lack in modern technology, is not necessarily a world where progress either happened to stop or never occur in the first place. It only makes sense that in this world, progress is fulfilled with medievalesque magic rather than technology. And presumably, it is evolving just as ours.
LikeLike
You make a very good point here. I think that, in the interest of preserving the magical feel of Hogwarts for readers/viewers, much of what they learn is framed as if it is an ancient teaching/tradition, but it does seem likely that spells/creatures/potions/etc. are being discovered and added to the curriculum all the time.
LikeLike
Despite some of the potential problems that some of my fellow commenters have pointed out, I greatly agree with much of this theory, even if it is now what, as the author admits, what Rowling intended. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again that in my opinion, one of the great things about magic is that it allows authors to connect the Medieval and the Modern by taking items that should only exist in the modern world and giving them magical counterparts. In this way, authors may add conveniences into a medieval like world that us modern muggles can connect to while still making it not feel unnatural in its surroundings.
LikeLike
That’s a great point!
LikeLike
I think one viewpoint that has not been brought up about why technology would not be used at Hogwarts and throughout much of the wizarding world is that throughout the books we learn that the majority of the political power is held by pureblood families such as the Malfoys. The fact that Lucius Malfoy is one of the most politically powerful characters in the books before the war starts is mentioned over and over again. Lucius Malfoy has the ear of the Minister of Magic, a seat on the Wizengamot, multiple contacts in the Ministry, and is one of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Lucius Malfoy and many of his friends believe that Muggleborns are ignorant and see them as scum beneath their feet. Obviously, with a lot of people with strong anti-Muggle sentiments in power, technology created by Muggles will be heavily restricted and considered beneath the dignity of wizards to use, no matter how clever the invention. Additionally, most wizards that grew up in the wizarding world have absolutely no idea about all of the inventions of the Muggle world because of how isolated their communities are from the Muggle world. Even Ron, who grew up in a pureblood family near an area with Muggles, and with a father heavily interested in the research of Muggle inventions, struggles to use a telephone to the point where he yells at Harry’s uncle through the phone – which just goes to show how ignorant the wizarding world (even the part that professes to adore Muggle culture and technology) really is.
Even the portrayal of Ron’s father and Ron’s family’s status within the wizarding world portrays how this interest in Muggle culture marginalizes entire families. Ron’s dad has little to no political power within the wizarding world and is portrayed as a man that is a little odd and mostly harmless, with few if any coworkers or even family members actually taking him seriously, especially when it comes to his inventions. The sons that turned out successfully did so by gaining high-ranking positions at places that almost exclusively deal with magic. Bill is a curse-breaker; Charlie, a dragon tamer; Fred and George own a business in Diagon Alley (frequented by wizards); and Percy has a job with the Ministry. None of these jobs are likely to need any knowledge about the Muggle world and rely almost exclusively on magic. Based on these facts, I think it is highly likely that the political climate and isolation of the wizarding world led to the lack of development of Muggle technology more so than a want for a closer community or something like that.
LikeLike