Re: Civilization without fire

At 16:37 -0600 27.12.1999, Nik Taylor wrote:
>
>BP Jonsson wrote:
>> Don't you think that language, higher intelligence and technology could be
>> possible among aquatic beings, then?
>
>Language and higher intelligence, definitely, without a doubt.  But, I
>can't imagine how technology, beyond stone tools, would be possible.
I suppose you mean that technology requires metallurgy (which in turn
requires fire, of course!), but metallurgic technology and civilization
aren't necessarily the same thing.  Stone-age people achieved some pretty
impressive civilizations, not least in Pre-Columbian America.  Ancient
Egyptian civilization may also have begun before the bronze-age, and on
Malta there was a culture capable of building large stone constructions
with stone tools.
    IMO civilization is chiefly a matter of social organization, which may
be a prerequisite of technological progress, rather than the other way
around.



/BP

 B.Philip Jonsson  <bpj@...> <melroch@...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~__
            Anant' avanaute quettalmar!               \ \
   __  ____ ____    _____________  ___ __   __ __     / /
   \ \/___ \\__ \  /___  _____/\ \\__ \\ \  \ \\ \   / /
   / /   / /  /  \    / /Melroch\ \_/ // /  / // /  / /
  / /___/ /_ / /\ \  / /Melarocco\_  // /__/ // /__/ /
 /_________//_/  \_\/ /Eowine__   / / \___/\_\\___/\_\
I neer Pityancalimeo\ \_____/ /ar/ /_atar Mercasso naan
~~~~~~~~~Cuinondil~~~\_______/~~~\__/~~~Noolendur~~~~~~
|| Lenda lenda pellalenda pellatellenda cuivie aiya! ||
"A coincidence, as we say in Middle-Earth" (JRR Tolkien)