Southern Tech

[DeadFencer]

So Southern Scadrial didn't have 1,000 years of technological stagnation like the north did, right? And they also had no Allommacy or Feruchemy to focus their research on. So does this mean the Southern technology that isn't related to Allomancy is really advanced? I mean, Scadrial was just before the industrial revolution when Rashek came to power. It stands to reason that if that was the rough equivalent of 1700, then the South should be at about a 2700 tech level. Even if we assume the ecological disasters slowed things down, they're still centuries ahead of the North.

[Bowiespoon he/him]

I believe so to, but we don't really know what their culture has done to affect technological progression.

 

EX: the church in europe stamping down on scientists

[junior]

What we see in BoM seems to suggest that they're at most only a century or so ahead of the Basin.  Their fliers fly high enough that the Northerners aren't even aware that they're up in the air.  But they still rely on investiture instead of technology for their heating.

 

Yes, they can use their coins for heating.  But using the coins is limiting because it means that if they want to stay warm, then they can't use another coin.  I'd expect things like self-heating clothing if their technology level was up to the equivalent of 22nd Century, or even further.

 

 

And on a meta-level note, Sanderson has already revealed that the next series is to be set in Scadrial's rough equivalent of the modern era.  That would be a bit difficult if the South (which will soon be trading with the North) was already centuries ahead of the modern era.

[natc]

To be honest wouldn't having magic heating slow down development of "mundane" heating technologies slightly? Might not be as convenient, but that's what they've already known, and is no longer a pressing concern.

[DrakeMarshall he/him]

To be honest wouldn't having magic heating slow down development of "mundane" heating technologies slightly? Might not be as convenient, but that's what they've already known, and is no longer a pressing concern.

 

That's basically why the northern half of Scadrial (especially Elendel with their prosperity) is progressing slower than the southern half.

 

Anyway, I am pretty sure southern Scadrial was hit hard by the world of ash and everything like the north was. Nothing major happened there since ruin and preservation mostly fought it out in the north, but the planet-wide catastrophes still hit them.

 

For that matter, most of our technological advancements have happened quite recently. Prior to industrialization technology advanced at a much, much slower pace. So it isn't unreasonable to assume that southern Scadrial wasn't advancing rapidly during all that time.