Ray Saintonge wrote:
Stan Shebs wrote:
For instance, it was not possible for 19th-century people to consider ecological consequences of clearcutting forests, since there was no science to inform them.
The Phoenicians were aware of the consequences of denuding the cedar forests of Lebanon.
Can't speak to that one, but in any case they were the exception not the rule.
Some writers blame Europeans for bringing diseases to the New World - centuries before anybody even had any idea how diseases got around.
I'm sure that General Amherst knew what he was doing when he gave infected blankets to the Indians in 1767. At the Battle of Kaffa in 1346 the besieging Tartars used catapults to fling plague infected bodies into the city. Understanding how infectious diseases worked did not prevent them from being used for military purposes.
Yes, plague was known to be infectious early on, and by the 18th century the generalized theory was in the air. The oversimplified version in books mixes up centuries of history though, leaving the impression that Columbus genocided the Indians by coughing into their faces. :-)
We must indeed avoid blaming past generations for things that they could not have understood, but this does not absolve them of all responsibility.
Exactly. I think if one were to be careful in the analysis, that Western civilizations would come out about the same as the others,\ in terms of realities falling short of their ideals.
Stan