Re: big ships (was Re: Cos-B: 30 Years On...)

Neil Gerace <geracen@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> "Henry Spencer" <henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:ILGFsG.F8q@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>> Alternatively, it was a shining example of what happens when curiosity (be
>> it scientific or otherwise) and rulers' pride are deemed the *only* proper
>> motives for exploration.

> Did someone say Apollo?

Jared Diamond has an interesting take on this very issue near the end
of _Guns, Germs, and Steel_, one which may also apply to the space
context. China was stunningly unified - what was effectively a
palace coup could order the fleets home and the shipyards closed,
and that was that. Europe has consistently included several
comparably-strong cultures, none of which was in a position to
conquer all the others (the identities of these entities changing
with time, and several attempts at such conquest being stipulated).
This meant that all of these cultures were unlikely to make the
asame mistaken judgment at the same time, especially if it
had military or commercial comnsequences. Comparison with pre-Raj
India led Diamond to suspect that there might be an optimum
level of competition befre it, too, becomes a sea anchor.

Short form - in China, one group not only made policy but could
define what was acceptably behavior for everyone else. Whereas in
Europe in its age of exploration, the English, French, Italians,
Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch... didn't much care what the others
thought they should be doing. Contemporary application is left
as an exercise.

Bill Keel
.

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