Ships and Seamen in the Age of Discovery Author(s): John H. Parry Source: Caribbean Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1951/1952), pp. 25-33 Published by: University of the West Indies and Caribbean Quarterly Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40652493 . Accessed: 20/05/2013 12:39 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. University of the West Indies and Caribbean Quarterly are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Caribbean Quarterly. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 148.206.40.98 on Mon, 20 May 2013 12:39:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Ships and Seamen in the Age of Discovery John H. Parry, Professorof Historyin the UniversityCollege of the West Indies One of the outstandingcharacteristics of Westerncivilization is its preoccupation with technicalproblems and its masteryof a wide range of mechanical devices. Technical skill and the ability to turn theoreticalknowledge to practical material ends have been major factorsin the extensionof European influenceround the world,and have forcibly,though not always favourably,impressed all the peoples with whom Europeans came into contact. Clearly one of the most important branchesof technicalability from the point of view of discoveryand expansion is the abilityto build and handle ships.