Re: Civilization without fire

At 17:13 -0600 26.12.1999, Nik Taylor wrote:
>
>Well, that's pretty broad, but I suppose you could say that any
>non-instinctive use of something beyond the animal's natural abilities
>is technology.  Then in that case, a very low level of technology is
>possible without fire.
Don't you think that language, higher intelligence and technology could be
possible among aquatic beings, then?  I once read a story where there was a
species of civilized fish.  Their fore-fins had evolved into hands without
their bodies having changed otherwise.  They spoke with the help of a
vibrating membrane, similar to the actual operation of loudspeakers.  And
then there were of course Czapek's salamanders...



/BP

 B.Philip Jonsson  <bpj@...> <melroch@...>
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