I couldn't agree more. And not all Tekla are on Dragaera. On Thu, 9 Jan 2003 Randi128 at aol.com wrote: > On 1-9-2003 at 2:48 PM, Michael Barr wrote > ><SNIP>And the whole idea of the experimental method, so crucial to > technology, > >escaped the Greeks and rose only ever so slowly in Europe. Had conditions > been > >even slightly different, it might not have happened. > > With conditions the way they were in the middle ages, I'm surprised > technology progressed as fast as it did. I think greed was a major factor, > with improved tech and new and larger markets, countries were able to > increase thier wealth exponentially.ie Spain, Portugal, France, England. > The suppression of knowledge and technology is a well documented historical > fact. Most monarchies, empires and dictatorships have tried, with success > most times, to keep the masses ignorant. A well educated, enlightened public > does not take to being ruled with an iron fist. Superstitious, ignorant > people are easily handled. In the dragaeran world, only the aristocrats are > allowed to learn sorcery, Teckla, the largest group, are generally not > taught, though they are allowed a link to the orb. In _Teckla_ there is one > teckla who had studied sorcery, on his own, but he is not the norm. > John D. Barbato OD > > >