Clarke's Third Law
The observation by the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
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Origin
Arthur C. Clarke first published the aphorism in a letter to Science magazine on 19 January 1968, responding to an article about UFO reports. He retroactively numbered it his "Third Law" — quipping that three laws were good enough for Newton. The statement was later integrated into the revised edition of Profiles of the Future (1973). Clarke's three laws have since become touchstones for science-fiction writers and technology futurists.
Updated February 22, 2026