In "The Sky People," the Maurai encounter civilized city dwellers and violent "Sky People" and favor the latter because they have a scientific approach and thus are more progressive.
In Vault Of The Ages, Carl's people think that the ancient scientific knowledge in the time vault is evil whereas the barbarian invaders are prepared to use it. Should Carl help the invaders because their approach is more progressive? That question is not posed in the text (I don't think) but is implicit.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
It's not usually an unqualifiedly "either/or" choice that Poul Anderson presents us in his works. Yes, the otherwise barbaric Sky People of the story using had begun to work out a truly a scientific approach to solving problems, but the Maurai still helped the stagnant city dwellers to defeat the raiders from the north. Rather, they proposed to help the city dwellers just enough to enable them to beat off the barbarians. And the Maurai urged them to learn from the wild men, and to send missionaries to convert them to Christianity and begin the process of civilizing them. Both peoples would eventually benefit, the scientific method reinvented by the barbarians would spread and the city dwellers would be reinvigorated.
And we see a similar approach taken by Anderson in THE MAN WHO COUNTS. With Nicolas van Rijn finding ingenious ways for two warring Diomedean nations finding it to be in their own interest to help him and his companions before they starved to death.
Sean
Sean,
We realize that it is not an unqualified either/or when we read further into VAULT.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Because Anderson tries to take into account the complexities, subtleties, contradictions, etc., of real life and real history in his works. And succeeds in doing so.
Sean
Sean,
He certainly does.
Paul.
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