Blogging by its nature opens up interesting conversations everywhere. It’s one of the great effects of the technology – it creates connections.
An example happened yesterday when my brother-in-law Tad, who is an anthropologist and a pretty smart guy, came by to visit the page and fastened on the masthead Benford quote – here’s what he had to say:
What is the broader context of this quotation? I understand Benford is a physicist and a sci-fi writer? What does he consider to be technology?
The brilliance of the quotation is that it works for any society, any technology, and any magic. Among the people I work with the rifle is a sufficiently advanced technology to make a seamless (magical?) connection between hunter and prey, but only if you know where to find moose and how to use the rifle. The rifle appears unadvanced, that is it doesn’t appear magical, if the other related components are not taken into account. A successful hunt is a ‘magical’ endeavor where the related components are not even noticed.
Where my research has taken me recently is towards a consideration of the role of the animal in determining the outcome of a hunt. Moose, in particular, seem to have a particular agency in deciding whether or not they will give themselves up to the hunter … and much of this depends on whether or not the hunter has acted appropriately towards animals in the past. From this perspective, knowledge of moose biology and ecology, an understanding of culturally-appropriate behaviors, and a rifle are all ‘advanced technologies’ which together give the appearance of magic to hunting.
Thanks for the thought …