NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Ancient mariners enjoyed Hawaiian holidays
From: Peter Fogg
Date: 2007 Nov 5, 19:00 +1100
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From: Peter Fogg
Date: 2007 Nov 5, 19:00 +1100
Frank wrote:
"All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?" (Life of Brian, Scene 9)
I would have thought "a few recent archeological discoveries, the Hawaiian rock and the Lapita graves" at the very least amounted to significant new information. We seem to be learning more about this subject on an on-going basis, happily enough, even as the last practitioners of their craft have faded away.
I'm really not sure what point you are seeking to make here. As you say, to anyone living in blissful ignorance of this story its all fresh news, and news that is particularly difficult to comprehend, it (still) seems. As you note, that presumably doesn't apply to any faithful National Geographic readers.
It goes without saying that the remedy for ignorance is information, which requires an inquiring and (above all) an open mind. Scepticism as an informative tool has its limitations.
Someone on the list, I think Wolfgang, also mentioned that very little of
this discussion of Polynesian navigation is new. And except for a few recent
archeological discoveries, the Hawaiian rock and the Lapita graves, which
Peter also mentioned I think, there hasn't been much new in decades.
"All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?" (Life of Brian, Scene 9)
I would have thought "a few recent archeological discoveries, the Hawaiian rock and the Lapita graves" at the very least amounted to significant new information. We seem to be learning more about this subject on an on-going basis, happily enough, even as the last practitioners of their craft have faded away.
I'm really not sure what point you are seeking to make here. As you say, to anyone living in blissful ignorance of this story its all fresh news, and news that is particularly difficult to comprehend, it (still) seems. As you note, that presumably doesn't apply to any faithful National Geographic readers.
It goes without saying that the remedy for ignorance is information, which requires an inquiring and (above all) an open mind. Scepticism as an informative tool has its limitations.
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To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com
To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com
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