Something has been lingering in my thoughts ever since I had started watching the show. Perhaps it is of trivial importance or interest, but it is one that I feel others can have some input on. Considering that magic is a fact of life as much as any real-world concept in the My Little Pony universe, what place do science and technology have in the lives of the ponydom? Throughout the series, the characters of the show are seen interacting with different forms of technology or at least adapting some of it to their needs. Some examples of featured technology include books (which would also imply the invention of the printing press), hot-air balloons, horse-drawn carts, telescopes (and for that matter, optical correction lenses), electric light, photographic camera, steam locomotives, the convection oven, clockwork devices, biotechnology, flashlights, and phonographic records. However, in many instances it is seen that a good portion of technological advancement involves some form of magic or the harnessing of natural energy sources to provide it function. :ahh: When putting everything into perspective, it seems entirely plausible that the entire series takes place after "The End", ala Fallout and that everything they have has merely been scavenged from the remains of a previous civilization, but there is little evidence to support that theory. Given their society and overall heirarchical systems, where does Equestria stand on the scale of civilization and achievements with regards to science and technology? It is also possible that there exist other countries on their world where things may or may not be as advanced, if not more so - something else to consider in this, but for now we'll just stick to Equestria. In this case I'm not quite sure what we will compare their universe to, but for the sake of simplicity I suppose we could mirror ours to theirs and see how far along the scale they are coming in.
I find stuff like this so interesting. I know it's just a kids show, but hey, we all have to have fun somehow, right? This made me laugh, but then also made me think. Imagine that was the case? Celestia and Luna, well maybe not Luna, had witnessed the rise and fall of human kind, and now ensure the dominance of ponydom. Or maybe they weren't always ponies... I'll stop now, because I'll be doing this for hours otherwise.
This idea reminds me of an old PC game call Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb. Where humanity disappeared, leaving anthropomorphic animals in their wake. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inherit_the_Earth:_Quest_for_the_Orb
That's definitely an interesting theory. I've sometimes wondered if for the next season the writers at some point will have an episode, or mention certain things in parts of episodes, poking fun at this. Kinda like they did when Applejack pointed out that they normally don't wear clothes. You would think the clothing industry would be non-existant in a pony-dominated society, haha. It just seems weird in a way— at a formal gathering, wear some clothing, but casually go naked. :/ The image Luprony posted poses some interesting questions concerning the technological incompatibilities that exist in Equestria. If we tried to apply some pony-logic, I think we can attribute at least some of it to magic. Since, in theory, a unicorn with the utmost prowess in magic can probably do anything, but as we've seen, someponies' magical abilities are limited to certain areas. Such as Rarity's being typically used for dress-making and gem-finding while Twilight's seem to be the most versatile as she's learning new spells as part of her studies. So for a pony like Twilight, almost anything is possible it would seem, as long as it obeys the Laws of Magic (if there are any, just like we have the Laws of Physics). As for pegasi and earth ponies, I'm not so sure. Except for being able to fly, pegasi and earth ponies are alike in that they have the same physical limitations. The earth ponies are probably the greatest analog to us. However, it is weird that a lot of things you see aren't really doable: Hooves holding onto hooves/other things, hoofshaking (with one hoof, but I noticed that Applejack used both of hers in episode 1 when she met Twilight). So basically, I think technology's place is rather weird, considering it looks like it's human technology in a pony-dominated world. Science I don't think really has much of a place. I've never seen the Laws of Physics violated so much! haha. They live in a world where alicorns are responsible for day and night and pegasi for sunny or stormy weather. The only place science may have some validity is in the Everfree Forest, since it was mentioned that in the forest clouds move on their own (Meteorology!), plants grow on their own, and animals care for themselves. Seems analogous to our world. As for a theory for why it's this way, we know the 'real' a.k.a. 'boring' answer— it's a cartoon, but that's no fun. I think your theory is an interesting concept though. I personally don't have one of my own.
I like the theory of post apocalyptic world. Mayne this is what would happen if a nuclear war broke out. After many hundreds of years ponies would rise to be the dominate race. They have found the remains of old enchant human technology and have re used them. Or I'm were all wrong and it's just the power of magic. Fun topic to think about anyway.
There MUST be some laws governing the way things are. Remember, in Feeling Pinkie Keen, Twilight tries to figure out why Pinkie has her "Pinkie Sense." That there must be some sort of sense, rhyme, reason, something, to EXPLAIN it. Even in a world with magic, things are logical. It's like if we'd always had magic... we'd still have all the laws of physics and science. The same must apply to Equestria. Related to topic:
I have the sudden urge to write a fic exploring this :S Btw, this also reminds me of the backstory to the american Sonic the Hedgehog comics; the alien xorda virus bomb the earth and wipe out humanity, but also creates the anthro's.
The trains... probably they work just fine, but one day, a pony appeared and insisted that the train needed "more horsepower (manly grunts)!" And so, horsepower was added. Said pony also proved that you can indeed explode multiple times, but that's a story for another day...
Well, I kinda made my own theory, of sorts... The ponies may all be a collective now, but if before that they were seperate groups, progressing individually... It would make sense then, for the earth ponies to have steam powered trains and the sort, as they would not naturally have the speed/flying abilities of the pegasi, or the magical powers of the Unicorns... Yes, books would imply the use of typewriters, and subsequently, digits on the forelegs/hindlegs... but at the same time the show not only shows ponies capable of holding objects/using items that usually need fingers (especially the unicorns, with their magic) but also shows other creatures, that would be capable of using such items. (diamond dogs/spike) That much already covers the part about them using the items fairly well.. On another note, the Trottingham, mainly populated by unicorns, is shown as larger, more successful, and more educated (note the size of their library, too) so it would make some sense to theorize that unicorns are responsible for most of the books/clothing seen in the show, and that the only reason clothing and books are found in a town like Ponyville is due to the large population of unicorns in the town. Electricity, for the most part, could simply be a new discovery, most likely made by unicorns. And the telescope/optical lenses/camera/etc... yeah I'll blame it on the unicorns, too. XD Architecture, for the most part, can also be explained as such... with the exception of the seats, which I can only guess could have been influenced by other creatures than ponies, mentionably diamond dogs, and whatever the show hasn't revealed yet. And the last thing I'd like to theorise about is the control of weather/sun and moon by ponies... It's my opinion that this is limited to Equestria, and that Equestria's just weird. I'd theorise that everywhere else, not just the Everfree forest, allows for such things to occur naturally. ...just wanted to put an alternative theory out there.
Revelations? Here's something interesting I just found. In the episode Show Stoppers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders set out to perform for the talent show and Sweetie Belle is in charge of the costume and set design. Of particular note, or rather for the sake of this theory, is Apple Bloom's costume. Here is an annotated image of my observations thereof: View attachment 1095 Apple Bloom's bandanna has what appears to be a human skull-shaped pattern adorning it. Since there has been no sight or mention of humans in the series, it would be rather unlikely for Sweetie Belle to just come up with such a design for a skull unless she intentionally designed them to appear this way. Although far-fetched and extremely unlikely, I can't help but think of Sachiel from Neon Genesis Evangelion when I see this particular skull design. Here is a picture for reference. The prop skulls here are presumably modeled after pony skulls and look very different from the ones on the bandanna. Unless she didn't know how or didn't want to put in the extra effort of making the skulls on the costume look like actual pony skulls, why would they appear so different? Of course, this feels like I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for any kind of possible "hint" to this theory, although it may have some plausibility after everything that has been discussed in this topic. However all of this could just be an oversight or might be more easily explained by Sweetie Belle not having any trust in the fabric she presumably made these costumes with, therefore making the skull design a result of her limitations rather than a morbid sense of imagination/knowledge. I say you should go for it. If no one else does, I reckon I will at some point, perhaps... Here's a bone thrown in that direction - who knows where that came from, right? :derpe:
Interesting theories. And Celestia pretty much did confirm that their planet is called Earth (if only in name) in "A bird in a hoof"...
I believe Bot-chan is referring to this part here when Princess Celestia says, "Where on Earth would you get such an idea?"
The only thing i think is weird was the piano Derpy dropped on Twilight's head (ep 15). I mean, how do you use that thing properly if you have hooves?
