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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 8780589" data-attributes="member: 6801228">What possible joy could I find out in the vast emptiness of space that could match improving the lives of billions of people? Having the capability to alter the world for the better, and instead seeking some ephemeral "greater purpose" seems far more small-minded to me.You keep making this point that ruling is this terrible burden that no one wants... and yet people have murdered and gone to war over the desire to have that burden. It doesn't make sense. You can't declare that no one with any real power would ever want to rule, and then square that with the hundreds of thousands of examples of people desiring to rule. The modern day wealthy spend vast amounts of their wealth to either gain positions of power or to influence those in power. There is a reason for this. It isn't because they just can't think of anything better to do with their money.You still aren't getting it. There is no ancient lore in ancient times. There is no wealth when everyone is a first forming cities. This is when wealth was being gathered for the first time. The mage might be off gathering magical power for the sole purpose of their own aggrandizement. But there could also be a mage who is off gathering magical power because they want to prevent their village from being destroyed. And once they save their village, they have gathered power in that village, which could become a town, then a city, and that's exactly how nations START. Not every spellcaster would be so selfish and self-absorbed to never desire to help their fellow people. And, while I've been mentioned sorcerers and other non-studious magic-users, if your father is the King and a powerful wizard... then you are going to be a wizard. Because your father is going to make sure you learn magic. And eventually the magical knowledge of the royal family becomes a cornerstone of their rule, and so they make sure to continue teaching it. As was mentioned at the very beginning of the thread, who is more likely to have the free time and wealth to study magic? The son of a pig farmer who may never even be taught to read, or the son of a nobleman who is required to read texts on philosophy, science and art, which could easily include the philosophy, science, and art of magic? If we ignore your, frankly unsupported, claim that no magic user would ever care enough about people to do anything in public service, it becomes rather obvious that magical power, and the wealth to learn and expand magical power would go hand in hand, and that disparity would tend to cause those with magic to rise to the top (barring something else preventing them)</blockquote>

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