[TML] A Plague of Spacemen

[Jerry W Barrington]

On 10/12/07 11:34 AM, Evyn MacDude wrote:

> On Oct 11, 2007, at 12:18 AM, James Ramsay wrote:
> 
>> New technology is often disruptive even in the cultures that developed
>> it, I don't think their is a way to introduce radical tech that won't
>> cause disruption.
> 
> There is a great one, that mostly gets forgotten, Education.

Education is very good, but it won't stop disruption.  All tech has
consequences.  You can prepare them for it, but they still have to deal with
the changes.



On 10/12/07 11:34 AM, "tml-request at travellercentral.com"
<tml-request at travellercentral.com> wrote:

> Where as if we meddle we can attempt to let them mature in the way we want.
> The problem of leaving them alone and considering then children is that
> you are setting yourself up for a fall.

"*Let* them mature the way we want?"  I'm not sure how that works.  I doubt
one society can train/mentor another, as one human does another.  If they
follow our direction too much, they aren't really maturing.  Maturity
involves finding your *own* answers.  And in a very real sense, they *are*
children, so how can you *not* treat them as such.  Of course, just as with
actual children, they have to have room to make their own mistakes.



On 10/12/07 11:34 AM, "Stuart Frew" wrote:

> Its a matter of control, or at least the attempt of it.
> Let the culture progress randomly and you never know what you will get.

Try to control and you still won't know what you'll get.  Look at the people
who do everything "right" and still raise brats and serial killers...

> If you meddle, and I am making the assumption that this meddling is not
> coercive, the culture can choose.

Arguably, no.  Once people on the planet know the tech exists, some of them
will choose to use it.  If nothing else, to build better weapons to take
over their neighbors and then invite you back.  :)  Any some will just not
be happy with the decision and have their own uprising.

And they can't pick and choose elements either.  Once they start down the
industrializing path, there's no going back.  One thing leads inexorably to
the next, and failure to keep up lets your neighbors take you over.



On 10/12/07 11:34 AM, "Antony Farrell" wrote:

> Then the imperium discovers a world named Darkover and promptly interdict it
> to prevent the empire being destroyed. The anti-prime directive.

Good one.  Hmm.  A campaign that combines Tech and Magic.  Yes, I know it's
been done.  But I'd have to fit it into my Hard SF mentality...

Challenging.