On Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 2:06 PM, Phil Pugliese (via tml list)
<xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote:
> Underlying it all is my belief that the super-hi (compared to us) tech a universe like the TU would possess would work to diminish trade volume, not increase it.

On that point, we are in strong agreement. Reasonable extrapolation
tells us that soon (in historical terms, and *well* before the 57th
century) we will be able to "magically" turn raw materials into any
desired goods on demand. At that point, the only things worth moving
around physically are sentient organic beings (assuming those still
matter), items of unique value like original artworks, and (most
especially) information. In such a universe, there would be
essentially no cargo shipping as we think of it. Sentients would
congregate near sources of raw materials, and trade blueprints with
other similar settlements.

That makes for some fine transhuman storytelling. But it looks nothing
like Traveller, and the reason is that Traveller is not (and has never
been) super high tech. There are elements of technology that we can't
produce, mostly involving propulsion and weaponry. But there is no
pervasive change in the fundamentals, such as an economy of scarcity.
Traveller is fundamentally about a late 20th century society that
happens to have gravitics, jump drives, and meson guns.

Thus, the trick to making Traveller work has always been keeping the
cables which support suspension of disbelief both sufficiently strong
and reasonably well hidden. This will necessarily involve some
handwaving. Where those handwaves work best is a matter of taste,
bolstered (or otherwise) by canon. In this case, since we know the 3I
has a great deal of trade from a number of canon-based arguments, it
seems to me easiest to assume that this trade will follow the usual
rules of business and economics. Giant container ships serving major
worlds follows as a natural consequence.

You can choose other handwaves to get one Far Trader a week visiting
Mora, but in that universe you are left with the questions Bruce asked
-- where does the 3I get its tax revenue, and what exactly does it
protect? If worlds are that self-sufficient, why does anyone ever
invade anyone else's territory? For that matter, why does anyone
travel(tm) at all?

>
> So what it really comes down to is a matter of personal preference, no?
>
> What do you like better, the MT 'universe' or the CT one?
>
> p.s. From what I've read it appears that T5 favors the 'less is better' school of thought.
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--
Craig Berry (http://google.com/+CraigBerry)
"Eternity is in love with the productions of time." - William Blake