In reply to JoeL 90:
> (In reply to blueshound) I doubt he write an article on someone no one had ever heard off, that would be a bit silly. Also at least hes not an arrogant no it all, im sure guides much prefer someone willing to listen rather than always asking why to everthing they say.
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Which raises the interesting question of whether the inability to spell or punctuate is linked to an inability to think.
Slavery was abolished in the British empire in 1807.The Golden Age of Alpinsim was 50 years later. To make a direct connection between the two seems stretching things at the very least. Slavery no doubt contributed dramatically to the wealth of some people and some parts of the UK but by the mid Victorian era one would think it was of relatively little importance.
One could of course dismiss the industrial revolution as purely a nasty case of exploitation which negates all the benefits which arose from it (is this what they teach in schools nowadays in place of the ability to write a clear sentence? )-including our health system,our transport system,our communications system and our leisure pursuits or we could realise that things are a bit more complex than that.
Curiously ,if you read more about the Empire you would discover that much of the exploration was done to further the goals of introducing Christian values and undermining slavery cf.Livingstone. I'd be interested how you would demonstrate that Erjest Shackleton and John Hunt were actually closet Nazis