Helm's Deep Query

[mhagain]

Originally Posted by davem

Of course, one cannot rule out Elvish influence on the thinking of the other races. Elves are basically a backward looking race - the past for them was superior in every way than any possible future. They did not think in terms of 'evolution' towards a better future, but of 'devolution' from a better past - the further one moved away from the past the worse things got. Hence, the weaponry & technology of the past was, to their minds, innately superior to anything that could be developed in their own time. Even the 'technology' they did invent - Rings of Power principally - was designed to preserve the past, not to move them forward as such, because moving 'forward' was 'A Bad Thing' & took you further & further from 'perfection'.

Now that's a very interesting point. The same is also pretty much true of the other thousands of years since the first age, and it does seem that "invention" and "technical advancement" were doomed not to happen until the Dominion of Men began, for just the reason you've stated.