Maybe I have more in common with David Falkayn than I had thought? He had thought that:
"'...civilization had evolved beyond war.'" (p. 131)
This is certainly possible. France and Germany no longer settle their differences by waging war. Chee Lan points out that the Shenna had not, and the Baburites have not, evolved beyond war but Falkayn keeps asking questions. Why did the Baburites arm even before they knew that there would be a source of wealth like Mirkheim to fight for? In any case, they could have bought all the supermetals that they needed for a fraction of the cost of the navy that have built. His provisional hypothesis:
"'I have this gnawing notion that something in us, in Technic culture, is responsible.'" (ibid.)
And that is the answer. Not only something in their Technic culture but also something in his Hermetian culture. Looking at an apparently external problem is like looking in a mirror. When the Prisoner unmasks Number One, he sees his own face.
In this sense, the Baburites are not like the Patriarchy of Kzin which is merely an external threat - except insofar as it is projected onto the interstellar stage by the imagination of an American sf author.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I still have to disagree, with both you and Falkayn. The flaw which can lead to wars or socio/political crises is not in a "society," but in the people who make up that society. But this is an old point of disagreement!
Happy New Year! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Another thought: while France and Germany might not be fighting wars against each other NOW, there is no guarantee that will always remain true. Circumstances can change do drastically that nations long at peace with other might again come to quarrel with each other.
Happy New Year! Sean
The fact that there's an interval between wars doesn't mean that war has gone away; just that there are intervals between wars.
There hasn't been a "world war" between great powers for 75 years. Not because people have "evolved", but because there's no defense against nuclear weapons in that scenario.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
J agree with both your points. The Peace of the Mushroom Cloud have prevented, so far, any world wars since 1945, but I could wish for a better way of achieving the same reult.
Ad astra! Sean
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