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This question asked why wizards couldn't use firearms to defeat Death Eaters. There are a variety of answers, but the lurking question there, I think, is why the wizarding world doesn't adopt certain everyday Muggle technologies (or make a magic-based equivalent) that would make their life easier. Some examples that come to mind are:

  • Pretty much anybody who needs to write anything uses a quill, an inkwell, and parchment, despite the fact that this is inconvenient compared to a ballpoint pen and regular printer paper.

  • When wizards go shopping, they have to carry a satchel with coins minted out of precious metals, instead of using a more convenient fiat currency (banknotes, small coins minted out of inexpensive metal). Perhaps wizards have decided that they really want their currency backed by a physical commodity, but then, it would be easier to create the magical equivalent of a debit/credit card, which would magically transfer an agreed amount of gold from the buyer's vault to the seller's without having to physically carry the gold into the shop.

  • Certain basic safety features on magical equipment. For example, a child-lock on wands, so that kids don't go out casting spells they are not qualified to use (remember that Harry Potter nearly killed Draco Malfoy because he used a spell he didn't understand), or the equivalent of an "are you sure?" dialog box on the floo network, to ensure that you don't send yourself to the wrong destination.

  • The magical equivalent of an e-book reader: a single piece of parchment that displays pages of whatever books you have "downloaded" into it. Again, it sounds more convenient for students than having to lug large books around.

What strikes me is that wizards are actually quite adept at creating magical equivalents of muggle technology when the plot demands it. There are various occasions where two people on separate locations talk to each other through fireplaces, which is clearly the magical counterpart of Skype. The coins that Dumbledore's Army uses to communicate are effectively equivalent to having push notifications from a newsgroup into your smartphone.

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Koldito
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  • By and large the drive simply isn't there. For money, for example, wizards don't have to carry a satchel full of precious metals - any small purse can be enchanted to be huge on the inside. And they can conjure up the metals, so they're not exactly precious. For child safety, (unlike the Muggle world) most accidents can be magically mended quickly and easily - perhaps even rationalised as a good lesson for the kids. And for all of these examples, wizards would have to be familiar with Muggle tech. Most are not. – DavidS Jun 11 '15 at 10:58
  • I closed this question as a duplicate because although you differentiate your question by using "generally", the principle of why wizards do or do not use Muggle technology or other Muggle instruments or items is similar or the same. Harry Potter is a series about a wizarding world. I could be wrong -- people are free to re-open this question. :) – Slytherincess Jun 11 '15 at 10:58
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    Even in 2015, kids still have to carry pounds of books. Harry Potter is set in 1990s. No e readers or tablets or smartphones. –  Jun 11 '15 at 11:18
  • This is not merely a broad question, but multiple questions rolled into one. The money question has a separate answer from the others. So this could be closed as too broad or unclear. – Xavon_Wrentaile Aug 09 '16 at 18:37

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