Post Proscriptions: Learning electricity

So Weber mentioned that the Writ includes a fairly comprehensive description of electricity and how it works.

So if/when the Prosriptions are abandoned, how well could the Writ's description of electricity be used to learn how to EXPLOIT electricity?

evilauthor wrote:So Weber mentioned that the Writ includes a fairly comprehensive description of electricity and how it works.

So if/when the Prosriptions are abandoned, how well could the Writ's description of electricity be used to learn how to EXPLOIT electricity?

I don't believe that the Writ is that explicit. Someone else can find the text evidence.

There's the analogy with Dr. Lywys browsing the "this is too dangerous" sections of the Writ.

Hmm. Would that be the best way to introduce electricity to Safehold? Merlin wants Safeholders to develop the habit of experimenting and learning on their own, otherwise he could just drop the equivalent of a TF university library on them.

Expert snuggler wrote:There's the analogy with Dr. Lywys browsing the "this is too dangerous" sections of the Writ.

Hmm. Would that be the best way to introduce electricity to Safehold? Merlin wants Safeholders to develop the habit of experimenting and learning on their own, otherwise he could just drop the equivalent of a TF university library on them.

The burned hand teaches best... somebody getting an unexpected jolt of electricity could set the cause back years, couldn't it?

Of course, it didn't work that way for Seamount and explosives, did it?

Don

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Expert snuggler wrote:There's the analogy with Dr. Lywys browsing the "this is too dangerous" sections of the Writ.

Hmm. Would that be the best way to introduce electricity to Safehold? Merlin wants Safeholders to develop the habit of experimenting and learning on their own, otherwise he could just drop the equivalent of a TF university library on them.

Our own experimental science was based on the work of people like Roger Bacon, who thought through the question of how we can know things. This in turn was based on the idea that since God is reasonable and we are made in His image, we can think truly, although not completely, about at least some of the things He has made. In other words, a non-capricious universe. Our early experimental successes made it easier for people to continue, even those who reject the basic ideas.

Merlin et al are working to introduce experimental engineering and science, and the inner circle is using a TF library to encourage this. Remember Howsymn's reaction to the idea of brass cartridges? He encouraged it while pointing out the work that the inventor would need to do. Once advancement has gone far enough, the success rate will drop, but by then the habit should be firmly established.

Expert snuggler wrote:There's the analogy with Dr. Lywys browsing the "this is too dangerous" sections of the Writ.

Hmm. Would that be the best way to introduce electricity to Safehold? Merlin wants Safeholders to develop the habit of experimenting and learning on their own, otherwise he could just drop the equivalent of a TF university library on them.

He has done! But only to the Inner Circle. You can bet that once the prescriptions go away 'someone' will be getting a whole lot of very good ideas that turn out to work. He or she will also probably be transcribing a lot of papers from Messrs Faraday and Maxwell

evilauthor wrote:So Weber mentioned that the Writ includes a fairly comprehensive description of electricity and how it works.

So if/when the Prosriptions are abandoned, how well could the Writ's description of electricity be used to learn how to EXPLOIT electricity?

I imagine it's a lot more useful when it comes to understanding how to generate it - along, of course, with the handy insight that all these different things are one thing, electricity. The Writ had to specify all that in order to be very, very sure people knew what the Archangels were talking about there and the whole thing, however you got it, was off-limits.

The parallel with Dr. Lewys fishing for applications in Pasqualate curses breaks down there. Pasquale assures you that A will follow B, so if you have some use for B or things like B, A's a possible source for you. The electricity prohibition isn't like that, beyond "if you want to be Questioned and maybe struck down by Langhorne, go on, rub the cat-lizard the wrong way in a dry room...." What you get out of electricity naturally hasn't had to be much if any part of the Writ's prohibitions on it: all the reason not to use it is left for theology and human punitive efforts.

JeffEngel wrote:I imagine it's a lot more useful when it comes to understanding how to generate it - along, of course, with the handy insight that all these different things are one thing, electricity. The Writ had to specify all that in order to be very, very sure people knew what the Archangels were talking about there and the whole thing, however you got it, was off-limits.

The parallel with Dr. Lewys fishing for applications in Pasqualate curses breaks down there. Pasquale assures you that A will follow B, so if you have some use for B or things like B, A's a possible source for you. The electricity prohibition isn't like that, beyond "if you want to be Questioned and maybe struck down by Langhorne, go on, rub the cat-lizard the wrong way in a dry room...." What you get out of electricity naturally hasn't had to be much if any part of the Writ's prohibitions on it: all the reason not to use it is left for theology and human punitive efforts.

That's why I specified that this scenario would be AFTER the Proscriptions are lifted. So that would-be experimenters with no access to Merlin's libraries (or equivalent) could experiment with electricity without worrying about divine (or even mortal) retribution.

Hi Evil Author,

If it is fully described then no longer proscribed, wide experimentation is only to be expected, but how does the inner circle and just two PICA's prevent radio transmissions potentially alerting the Gbabba?

Policing the whole planet could wear OWL and dozens of PICA's out, so how quickly could or can the inner circle reveal their very superior 'quiet' communications network?

Will it be that the Seijins reveal their network and offer it worldwide to avoid such dangers?

That certainly won't stop the very curious, especially without an explanation of the Gbabba, which requires the 'great reveal', thereby causing another religious war.

Isn't life complicated?

L

evilauthor wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:I imagine it's a lot more useful when it comes to understanding how to generate it - along, of course, with the handy insight that all these different things are one thing, electricity. The Writ had to specify all that in order to be very, very sure people knew what the Archangels were talking about there and the whole thing, however you got it, was off-limits.

The parallel with Dr. Lewys fishing for applications in Pasqualate curses breaks down there. Pasquale assures you that A will follow B, so if you have some use for B or things like B, A's a possible source for you. The electricity prohibition isn't like that, beyond "if you want to be Questioned and maybe struck down by Langhorne, go on, rub the cat-lizard the wrong way in a dry room...." What you get out of electricity naturally hasn't had to be much if any part of the Writ's prohibitions on it: all the reason not to use it is left for theology and human punitive efforts.

That's why I specified that this scenario would be AFTER the Proscriptions are lifted. So that would-be experimenters with no access to Merlin's libraries (or equivalent) could experiment with electricity without worrying about divine (or even mortal) retribution.

lyonheart wrote:If it is fully described then no longer proscribed, wide experimentation is only to be expected, but how does the inner circle and just two PICA's prevent radio transmissions potentially alerting the Gbabba?

I don't think anyone will be particularly worried about light-speed radio waves alerting the Gbaba.

IIRC, Safehold is something like 500 Ly away from Gbaba space, so it would be 500 years before the first signals reach the Gbaba to be detected. That should give a very comfortable cushion for moving beyond simple spark transmitters and radio frequencies in general; TF level use of electricity seems to be fairly low power/high-sensitivity that is generally undetectable against background noise. (spread spectrum or quantum entanglement, perhaps?)