Renaissance NerdNovember 12, 2014

I would say there's no such thing as ancient and modern technology, but just technology. I always used to wonder about the stories that the point on swords was 'discovered' as if men fighting for their lives were too stupid to recognize its use, and then after all the fight books came back to light it was always just a myth. They didn't use the point because it's almost useless against chain mail. So is an extremely sharp edge; you have to break bones, since a steel sword has a very hard time cutting through iron links. Turns out those medieval idiots knew what they were doing after all. Technology is at root what works--tried and true. The theory is irrelevant. So if it worked 5,000 years ago it'll likely still work. I think it ought to be obvious to we Mormons, since the Book of Mormon very plainly illustrates the cyclical nature of history rather than any progressive theories. Technology gets lost, but it will still work when rediscovered even millennia later. And I would never ever set out over a long distance in a motorboat without a few sweeps or paddles on board.