Why is there no technological advancement in the Elder Scrolls universe?

[TheVampireDante]

If that was the reason, then I suspect they would have destroyed the Lexicon's and any related tech.

 

I think it was more a case of Kagrenac poking a god's heart mixed with circumstance causing their disappearance.

 

Kagrenac's experimentation with the heart of Lorkhan may have lead to the calling ability being used almost constantly in order to share new god-level knowledge instantly in a time of great need (due to the Dunmer rising against the Dwemer) - and this leads to the disappearance. Once Kagrenac enacted what would be his final attempt to manipulate the heart of Lorkhan, he was "removed" from the world for some reason - either as a successful outcome, or a dismal failure - but due to the calling being active amongst his entire race at the time, and mixed with the power of the heart the effect he brought about was shared between all possible Dwemer and they all vanished.

[kthompsen]

One word: Magic

 

Same goes for any fantasy setting. It's why even the most mundane of sciences is a joke in these settings: Health care/Medicine. When there's no desperation or need, then there's no reason to evolve. edit: Actually GOT is one example of fantasy where magic has died off, and you see people like the Maesters (or Rob's wife) who practice medicine.

Edited August 8, 2017 by kthompsen

[Beriallord]

Cooky superstitious beliefs is what keeps technology from advancing. The best and brightest are vilified, and become outcasts. Or executed.

 

If a human tried to reverse engineer some of the superior Dwemer tech, and was successful, it's likely they'd be treated as the equivalent of a Necromancer.

 

The first thing underdeveloped humans blame when something goes wrong are the things they understand the least. Like magic and technology.

[PoorlyAged]

Arthur C. Clarke provides us with the probable answer. "A significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic". Who can say that the "magic" in the Elder Scrolls universe is not a simply a "significantly advanced technology"?

Edited August 13, 2017 by PoorlyAged

[Skagens]

Who can say that the "magic" in the Elder Scrolls universe is not a simply a "significantly advanced technology"?

 

From the UESPWiki:

"Magic is the general term used for the focusing of raw energy into various properties and for various purposes. This raw energy, often referred to as magicka, flows from Aetherius into Mundus by way of the sun and stars, and from it the Mundus was created. Magicka comprises every spirit, it is the energy of all living things and can be harnessed in a variety of ways."

 

I'd say magic is more of a cosmic force rather than something engineered. Think of it as part of our soul or life force if you will. Every living thing comprises of some form of magic, and that magic can be harnessed. Maybe the reason elves are more attuned with the magic powers is because their spirit, or soul if you will, contain more magic than those of man. Eh, who knows.

[gigabytemon]

I know necromancy is frowned upon in Tamriel, so I'm sorry for doing this.

 

After reading up a bit on the Elder Scrolls lore - particularly the stuff surrounding Lorkhan, Aurbis, the Towers, some theories about the Eye of Magnus, and also Vivec's teachings - I think I have a plausible headcanon for why technology stagnates in ES. When you consider that Numidium is a living expression of reality itself, you can figure that Mundus is a kind of "sub-level" dimension of reality, kind of like a 2D world in a 3D universe. Any being that achieves enough enlightenment (like when they finally comprehend CHIM, one of the six Walking Ways to achieving divinity), could possibly be able to comprehend the world outside of the restrictions they're in.

 

From CHIM's page: "So one who knows CHIM is said to reside atop (or within) the Tower (i.e., Mundus) and possesses incomprehensible power to alter reality. By knowing CHIM, one experiences an ineffable sense of the godhead, which is what allows for escape from all known restrictions.")

 

 

The process of understanding the universe in the ES inevitably encompasses these Walking Ways. This could explain why the Dwemer disappeared, and why ES is technologically stagnant: any being or race that can comprehend the true form of the universe "ascends" from the lower "sub-level" into a higher plane. Like if a 2D figure realizes it can move in a 3D space, and stops existing in that 2D plane it came from because it can be anywhere else in the 3D world.

 

Here is the discussion that started me rolling along the path: The Snowthroat Theory and The Cave

Edited November 25, 2017 by gigabytemon

[twowolves80]

...or it could have to do with the fact that the daedra keep meddling and causing wars that keep wiping out the best and brightest. They seem to be uppity about people who are close to their power-level and who aren't immortal. lol

 

Also, you'd still think they'd have adapted some kind of crude locomotive for moving war materiel from the dwemer steam technology.

[keelbreaker]

Why would there be technological advancement in a world with magic???

 

Tech is just a way, way, slower and harder way of accomplishing things that magic already does instantly by casting a spell. Many things magic does in tes are technologically impossible anyway, that's why it's called magic.

 

Also what instances we do see of tech are. Magitech. And mages in tes, in many ways, behave like scientists. They have colleges and advance magic by studying/experimenting, they invent better magic. So. Magic is the tech of tes. And from what I've seen it is pretty advanced.

 

And as far as tech tech goes, as people have pointed out that wasn't a very fast advance in reality. Prior to the invention of firearms, basically all weapons tech was swords for thousands of years. With technological advancement being defined by making the swords out of slightly better metals which occurred once every several hundred to several thousand years. Before that, it was pretty much clubs. For the entirety of human history. TENS of thousands of years.

 

So there's really not much reason to expect tech to change that much in tes franchise. If ever at all.

[DoomCrap]

Extreme reliance on magic. If you look at it, they use magic for just about everything short of breathing and squeezing out shits. It's kind of like why the Romans never went through with the steam engine even though they had a working concept(and probably a prototype somewhere). The Romans had slaves, so they didn't need tech. The people of Nirn have magic.

[twowolves80]

I'll give you one good reason why technology would advance in the face of a magically-rich world:

 

Because one good pistol would make a normal man the equivalent of a wizard. This was kind of touched upon in the Pillars of Eternity game where Durance talked about how technology made every man a wizard's equal.

 

And I still think someone would have at least tried to use the dwemer tech for more mundane and practical utility purposes, like a locomotive...a sort of train we read about in Stephen King's The Talisman as it traveled through the badlands. There'd probably only be one or two in existence, and those would be heavily protected and/or armored. The Wheel of Time series touched upon this, too.