Galleons by the Gallon: An Innovation in Naval Technology

The new sleek design that's cool with the kids these days

Many of us remember the stories of Christopher Columbus and the three ships he sailed in to reach the Americas, namely, the Nińa, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. These three iconic ships have defined the human imagination for centuries, and with their captain they have sailed into the lands of legend...

...It's quite terrible, then, that they were so bad at their jobs.

Enter the 16th century galleon, the newest model in a legacy of ocean traversers. Unlike previous models offered at the local dealer, this achievement in naval technology was able to maintain a stability previously unheard for ships at it's time. By simply elongating the hull (and lowering that large compartment in the front called the "Forecastle") the ship was able to reduce air resistance by a large margin, improving not just maneuverability, but pure speed as well. The best part of this deal was, that the Galleons were far more cheap to produce compared to the leading brand of the time, the "Carrack", which was reduced to being the 16th century equivalent of a minivan compared to the Galleon's horsepower. After all, when you've got a boat that's faster, easier to use and costs less to make, it's hard not to follow the trend.

While I might not be old enough to remember the major innovations in the automobile industry, and not even a twinkle in my Great-Great-Grandmother's eye for the improvements in naval technology, I was old enough to witness the increasing innovations in the internet, watching as internet speeds climbed higher and higher and more and more websites were being created. This combined with new programs being created each day has lead me to compare the progress of the internet to the genesis of the Galleon, and how much it changed the world of transportation. No longer would there need to be month-long journeys from one European country to the next simply due to a bad current, now the ships (and the captains who commanded them) could go where they wanted to go, and with Colombus' discoveries in the 15th century, there was all the more incentive to go out and explore. And now in this modern age, where we have hundreds of libraries at our fingertips, I think it's high time we go out and explore some more ourselves.

Image Credit: "French Galleon" via Wikimedia Commons

Other Planets, Other Suns

     Alexander Pope's writing in his philosophical poem, An Essay on Man, displays an awareness that particularly interested me. Pope mentions the idea of different planets revolving around different suns, and muses on what kind of beings might inhabit those "other planets". While the discovery of a heliocentric (sun-centered) galaxy was modeled by Copernicus around 200 years prior to Alexander Pope's famous essay, I think that Pope philosophically expands upon a scientific finding in such a way that is still very pertinent to our day. 

     In the first epistle of his essay, Pope writes two lines that makes one really think about the unknown, "What vary'd Being peoples ev'ry star, May tell why Heav'n made us as we are." (Pope, Essay on Man). It seems as though Alexander Pope is suggesting to his audience that by learning more about the universe and astronomy, mankind can learn more about both God and mankind, itself. This is truly insightful. Words such as these helped mankind reach beyond whatever knowledge was within close grasps of its fingertips. Even today, there are scientists and writers who seek to explain the stars and push the boundaries of human knowledge to better mankind. This kind of thinking was both rational and inspirational at the same time, helping humankind to push past barriers, to revolutionize science, politics, and law. I think that often we do not value pen as much as we do the microscope in such instances of innovation and change. Would revolution and science be even allowed in our society today to the degree it is without having great writers and speakers to convince others to action and defiance of complacency? The body of humankind moves forward via many muscles, and I submit to you that great literature such as The Declaration of Independence, the Bible, Martin Luther's Theses, Dr. King's great speeches, and essays just like the one written by Pope I have mentioned, would be the heart. 

Image Source: <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Copernican_heliocentrism_diagram-2.jpg/300px-Copernican_heliocentrism_diagram-2.jpg>

Ladies & Locke

As I looked over the talks given this weekend at General Conference, the broadcast given by the leaders of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for their members, I was perturbed. Out of twenty-six talks given that weekend, one was from a woman. I think we need to hear from women more often in the church; diverse perspectives will only strengthen it. We have come far from the days when women were expected to live to cook, clean, raise children, and look nice, but we still have a way to go before they are valued equally to men.

Locke believed women were fully rational, and had
particularly high praises for Damaris Cudworth Masham.

John Locke was actually an early supporter of semi-feminist ideas. He even used religion and scriptures to support his claims in his Two Treatises on Government. In his efforts to establish that monarchies did not have a divine right to rule, he ended up claiming that this extended to the "right" of dominion God supposedly gave to Adam over Eve. 

Locke claims that God punished Eve for disobeying him, but that he did not give the authority of a monarch to Adam as the Enlightenment monarchs often claimed. This meant that women did not owe their husbands obedience, and that their children owed equal subordination to both parents, not just the father. Locke believed that men only had power over women in their physical superiority—which was actually pretty progressive for his time.

The Nature of Man

The “nature of man” is described perfectly by Thomas Hobbes as he lists “three principal causes for quarrel: first, competition; secondly, distrust; thirdly, glory.” His insights concerning the causes of war are spot on. He says that the first principal makes men invade for gain, the second one for safety, and the third for reputation.

Hobbes’s insights parallel a modern-day scripture from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It comes from the Doctrine and Covenants and reads, “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”

https://flic.kr/p/9fgYLg

Hobbes, himself, makes several references to the Bible, especially the familiar “law of the Gospel” that reminds us “to do unto others….” He also teaches that “men are continually in competition for honor and dignity…and consequently…there arises envy and hatred and finally war.”

We see this kind of behavior in men (meaning men and women alike) in all areas of life. As a matter of fact, I don’t believe there is any place in our lives that escapes the negative consequences of the natural man. There is one place, in particular, where I have been saddened to see this focus on competition, distrust, envy, hatred, gain, and glory; it is on the fields and in the courts of all sports. While raising my family, I got tired of hearing about how good competitive sports would be for my kids. Many proudly taught that participation in any sport would teach sportsmanship; however, I never witnessed any positive act of sportsmanship. I am sure that it was there, but no doubt it was overshadowed by a much higher percentage of negative behavior, all in the name of gain and glory for self.

I believe the reason so many great minds have been enlightened with this idea of the true nature of man is because our nature is evident throughout history. If we can accept this natural trait in ourselves, we can overcome the natural man. As we rule over each other in appropriate ways and even compete when necessary, we can do so in the manner of “doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.”

What is Progress?

Who decides which is right?

In Antoine Nicolas de Condercet's "Progress of the Human Mind," Condercet puts forth a brief summary of his view on the development of humankind as well as a prediction about their future development. His whole idea focused on the eventual perfection of humankind. He thought that as society progressed, there would be clear steps forward that would lead humanity to become better and eventually perfected. The only problem with this idea is saying who gets to decide what is better or worse for humanity.

As humanity has grown and changed throughout time, obvious developments have occurred that most agree were for the best: development of tools and farming, achievement of freedoms like religion and speech, ending of slavery. And it seems that Condercet thought that all changes in society could be clearly marked as GOOD or BAD. However, in each time period what is considered good or bad changes. During the time of the Enlightenment, there were many revolutions in which people were fighting for what they considered basic human rights, and we support that. But there will always come a time when we can't agree on what a basic human right really is.

After the American Revolution, the founding fathers put together the Constitution, which outlined what they thought were basic human rights, and at the time most everyone thought they were right. In today's society, there are things such as "the right to bear arms" that we can't agree about being a basic human right. So while the thinkers of the Enlightenment were so influential in helping bring about political and scientific changes of thought, there will never be a time on the earth as it currently is when humans can fully agree on what makes a government good and what makes it bad therefore making it impossible to reach our "perfection" like Condercet predicted.

image credit: public domain images via Wikimedia Commons

Of Cattle & Commonwealth

A More Contended Life

Caleb after roping a wild bull

In his outline of causes for commonwealth, Thomas Hobbes points out that man has a desire for a “more contended life.”  They want their rights of life and liberty and their properties secured and protected.  Thus, they need a social contract to sacrifice some comfort and liberty for a greater liberty.

In my little brother’s seminary class, upon being asked if he wanted grow up as a calf in the safety, comfort, and warmth of the stall responded, “Nah, the cattle hate being corralled and cornered; I’d rather be free to roam and find my own food.”

While as humans we really do desire the “contended life” with not just its luxuries but assurance that our rights and properties will be protected, having grown up on a cattle ranch, Caleb understood that cattle prefer the range over the corral and peace over protection.

Like Bees & Ants

Some of the reasons Hobbes says creatures live harmoniously are:

• Men seek their “own superiority” whereas with creatures, so long as one is happy, doesn’t care what the other has
• Creatures can communicate but can’t express what’s good and evil
• Harmony is natural among creatures but only comes by agreement and a common power for men.

The “only solution” to prevent injury and insure protection is to form not just an agreement, for man can back out on his word, but to form a common power to which everyone submits his will and judgments—a commonwealth.

Commonwealth

This commonwealth is procured by one of two ways: by natural force or by voluntary agreement.  The governing power is the “sovereign” that exists solely to protect and preserve the rights of the people.  If this power is split up, the sovereign is deserting the purpose.  Therefore, it’s his responsibility to maintain those rights and inform the people of his purpose in establishing rights.

What goes into writing a general conference address?

With the passing of general conference this last weekend, I feel it is appropriate to discuss in depth how speakers prepare for such experiences like these semi-annual gatherings. Each address is so eloquently written and is filled with great literary techniques.  I feel there is no better way to sharpen our writing and rhetoric skills than to learn from the qualified individuals who spoke to us this last weekend.