Dale.Amon@FAS.RI.CMU.EDU (01/08/86)
Just to keep the history straight, guns were indeed banned in Japan, and I believe the enforcement was via the death penalty. It was quite succesful. Of course, the REASON that they were banned was so that the highly trained Samurai could continue to keep the Japanese peasantry from becoming uppity, since a peasant with a gun was the equal to any wealthy noble. Had we had a similary perspicuity in the European nobility, we might well still be living under feudalism. (Although that is, of course, somewhat of a simplification) This has little to do with space, but when historical references are bandied as 'proofs' of something, I feel it is important to look a little deeper than simple bald statements.
werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (01/11/86)
> Just to keep the history straight, guns were indeed banned in Japan, and I > believe the enforcement was via the death penalty. It was quite succesful. > > Of course, the REASON that they were banned was so that the highly trained > Samurai could continue to keep the Japanese peasantry from becoming uppity, > since a peasant with a gun was the equal to any wealthy noble. Had we had a > similary perspicuity in the European nobility, we might well still be living > under feudalism. (Although that is, of course, somewhat of a simplification) > > This has little to do with space, but when historical references are bandied > as 'proofs' of something, I feel it is important to look a little deeper > than simple bald statements. Actually, the cause what that wars BETWEEN Samurai armies were causing so many casualties, and threatened the breakdown of the social order. Consider it from the Eastern point of view. To become a Samurai involved a high degree of training and devotion. War was almost a religion. Using guns, which any untrained idiot can use, ruined war as an art. Incidentally, at the same time as this happened, Japan stopped doing long ocean voyages, and hence missed discovering America from the East, which they might have done. Again, little to do with space - except that the latter has parallels to Apollo vs. current policy. And as for your last line, re-read it, and consider your own bias. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "It's tough to incriminate a bread mold."