Imagine that the Earth was shrouded in a thick, permanent cloud cover, like Venus, only without the greenhouse effect and pressures? Imagine that the cloud cover was total and permanent, all over the planet.

Would the human race be at a similar level of development today under those conditions?

We know that man has always gazed at the clear night sky and wondered about the inky blackness punctuated by bright pricks of light, the shiny moon, the wondering planets, spectacular comets and meter showers and the golden ball of light during the day. Whole mythologies and systems of worship had evolved from these celestial mysteries over millennia, which lead to societal changes and intellectual pursuits.

Earth's clear skies enabled us to see into infinity, into a vastly different realm then our familiar Earth. Once telescopes were invented and trained at the heavens, it lead to a renaissance in thinking and understanding of our place in the world and the universe.

But if our skies were always clouded over, forming a visual barrier to the universe at large and its processes, would we even know anything about what lies beyond? Would our intellectual and technological development be retarded/slowed as a consequence? Would the early mariners have been able to navigate & explore the 'new world'? What would our society look like today?