[Child of the 7th Age]

Regarding technoogy....

I think it was not technology by itself that was evil and addictive, but rather how it was used. Tolkien seems to say that the bad thing about technology was that it often epitomized our desire to control or master things, rather than simply to appreciate them by studying or learning about them. You can have technology that is "not bad"--just look at the Shire--Tolkien mentions in passing things like fireworks and clocks, and these aren't portrayed as "bad". Look at the Noldor Elves....their desire to create things verges very close to what we view as technology, and that creation could be good or bad, depending on how it's employed.

For this same reason, JRRT makes a distinction between magic and enchantment. Enchantment is the good stuff the Elves do which flows naturally from their soul; magic is the bad stuff that someone like Saruman tries to wield when he attempts to manipulate everything and everyone about him.

I think what Tolkien was really saying about addiction was this. It's when man tries to set himself up in God's place, to change the innate natural order of things that he gets into real trouble. Man is supposed to learn and appreciate within that natural order and not attempt to distort it. So whether it's bad magic or bad technology, it can be addictive and hurtful to our souls.

[ February 23, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]