On Sun, 10 Aug 2003, David Silberstein wrote: > > >On Wed, 6 Aug 2003, Philip Hart wrote: > >>I think "petroleum" is a mistranslation. > By the way, I found my source for my above contention, which is "Guns, > Germs and Steel", by Jared Diamond, which is a fascinating book, and > I recommend to everyone here. It might at some point be interesting > to analyze Dragaera according to Diamond's notions of how societies > develop. I withdraw my objection to petroleum, except insofar as it relates to my general snark about the lack of tech in Drageara. I enthusiastically second GGS, especially as it has a somewhat Paarfian way of not honing down its arguments. I assert that the Empire is too determined by the Cycle to reflect Diamondian reasoning. However, the survival of the islands as independent entities seems more reasonable to me in that light. More reasonable than not at all, anyway.