(Found) Explorers visit a planet with "regressed" culture who turn out to be advanced beyond technology

[Sea Little]

The explorers land on a planet with apparently primitive inhabitants. They are led by one of the inhabitants to an abandoned city. The inhabitant fumbles with some of the tech in the city, but somehow gets it to work. Later the explorers reveal that they ar an advance for colonists and thinkk that they could help the inhabitants regain their lost knowledge. They are instantly whised off the planet and told that the inhabitants have forgotten the use of technology because they have advanced beyond it.

Possibly a short story or short novel. Likely written first half of 20th century. Maybe for something like Analog.

 

[psychotick]

Is this the one where their spaceship has problems on landing and needs repair, but they can't repair it themselves. So a local blacksmith tells them he'll fix it with a hammer. But at the end he tells them he was wrong - he couldn't use his normal hammer - the spaceship was too primitive. He had to use the big hammer?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Pyan]

Sounds vaguely like the part of Heinlein's Methuselah's Children where they meet the Jockaira.

 

[Ravensquawk]

It reminded me instantaneously of "Twlight" by John W. Campbell, even though the description does not seem a perfect match.
It has been a long time since I read it, but once you read it, you never quite forget it.

In "Twilight", though, there is only one "explorer", not a ship full of them.
Also, humans have definitely lost their technology, but also their drive or curiosity about using technology; rather than advancing beyond it, they have declined beyond using it.

I think there is another Golden Age story in which explorers are turned away by people living without technology, with powerful enough minds to send the explorers away.

 

[Ravensquawk]

I am also giving CPR to my vague memories of "Forgetfulness" by John W. Campbell.

Also a long-time-ago read, this story sounds like a much better match for the question.

The explorers find a planet, and on it a village of iridescent domes.

The name of the person who meets and leads them around on this non-technological planet is Seun, who admits that he has forgotten the powerful technology his race once had.
He has a powerful mind, and near the end of the story, does send the ship away, across intergalactic space in such a way that the explorers are returned to near their origin in both space and time: that is, they did not lose centuries on their home world due to relativistic effects.

A crew member says that he believes that being left alone, free from explorers, is Seun's wish.
They hear a telepathic "Yes." from Seun.

If this isn't it, I may not eat my hat, but I'll at least find out what wool felt tastes like.

 

[Ravensquawk]

On "Forgetfulness" by John W. Campbell:

Yes on "Possibly a short story or short novel." It is, like long shorts, a long short story.
Yes on “first half of 20th century”: 1937.
Yes on “maybe for something like Analog”: Astounding Stories, which Campbell took over later that year.
Yes on “Later the explorers reveal that they are an advance for colonists and think that they could help the inhabitants regain their lost knowledge.”

Ron Thule looked down at them, and a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment came to him. Pareeth would send her children. A colony here, on this ancient world, would bring a new, stronger blood to wash up in a great tide, to carry the ideals this race had forgotten to new heights, new achievements.

Yes on "They are instantly whisked off the planet and told that the inhabitants have forgotten the use of technology because they have advanced beyond it.":

"Six years have passed for us. [The people here on our home planet] wanted to know what misfortune made us return at the end-of a single year. One year has passed here on Pareeth.”
"Our fleet took six years to cross the gulf of five light years.
In thirty seconds, infinitely faster than light, Seun returned us, that there might be the minimum change in our racial history."

Now: Why would anyone bother to sign up just to ask a question; ask a question on the same day, the very first day they signed up; and then not even bother to come back to the site to watch for answers, and not even bother to say "Yeah! That is it!" or "The one I remember differs in that. . . . " or "Thank you! I've been seeking this for years!"?

 

[Danny McG]

Now: Why would anyone bother to sign up just to ask a question; ask a question on the same day, the very first day they signed up; and then not even bother to come back to the site to watch for answers, and not even bother to say "Yeah! That is it!" or "The one I remember differs in that. . . . " or "Thank you! I've been seeking this for years!"?

Depending on how they signed up for notifications - some get an email with the answer to their query on a link. There isn't really much point in then going fully to the site.
(I've been guilty of this myself in the past with various sites)

 

[Sea Little]

Thank you for your response. This indeed sounds like the work that I have been looking for.