Saturday 19 December 2015

Advanced Technology

I suggest that a rich text is one in which it is possible to discuss almost every sentence.

"'...when a technology has advanced to the point of interstellar drive, it doesn't need an empire.'" (The Peregrine, Chapter XIV, p. 124)

Right on. Intelligent beings capable of crossing an interstellar distance would have to carry their environment with them and therefore would not be dependent on finding such an environment on arrival - and how likely would that be in any case?

"'...green vegetables from an E-planet would help morale...'" (p. 119)

No doubt they would but is the universe full of Earth-like planets growing humanly edible green vegetables? Human beings have evolved in, and are adapted to, the ecology on only one planetary surface.

A technology capable of regular, faster than light interstellar travel implies an immense amount of both knowledge and energy. Beings capable of applying such knowledge and deploying such energy would hardly need to find other intelligent beings to conquer and exploit? They would already control more than enough wealth for their own needs and purposes.

As Alan Moore’s extraterrestrial character, Zhcchz (“Skizz”), says:

“You…refuse to…understand. When technology…has reached…a certain level…weapons…are redundant. When you already have…all that you need, then…why fight? We…have devices…that you would call weapons. To us…they…are tools.”21

-copied from here.

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