Numbers and the Making of Us: Counting and the Course of Human Cultures by Caleb Everett (PDF)

Description

Carved into our past, woven into our present, numbers shape our perceptions of the world and of ourselves much more than we commonly think. Numbers and the Making of Us is a sweeping account of how numbers radically enhanced our species’ cognitive capabilities and sparked a revolution in human culture. Caleb Everett brings new insights in psychology, anthropology, primatology, linguistics, and other disciplines to bear in explaining the myriad human behaviors and modes of thought numbers have made possible, from enabling us to conceptualize time in new ways to facilitating the development of writing, agriculture, and other advances of civilization.Number concepts are a human invention―a tool, much like the wheel, developed and refined over millennia. Numbers allow us to grasp quantities precisely, but they are not innate. Recent research confirms that most specific quantities are not perceived in the absence of a number system. In fact, without the use of numbers, we cannot precisely grasp quantities greater than three; our minds can only estimate beyond this surprisingly minuscule limit.Everett examines the various types of numbers that have developed in different societies, showing how most number systems derived from anatomical factors such as the number of fingers on each hand. He details fascinating work with indigenous Amazonians who demonstrate that, unlike language, numbers are not a universal human endowment. Yet without numbers, the world as we know it would not exist.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “A fascinating book.”―James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review“Fascinating…This is bold, heady stuff…The breadth of research Everett covers is impressive, and allows him to develop a narrative that is both global and compelling. He is as much at home describing the niceties of experimental work in cognitive science as he is discussing arcane tribal rituals and the technical details of grammar…It is often poignant, and makes a virtue of the author’s experiences with some of the indigenous peoples he describes, based on a childhood following his missionary parents―in particular his famous father, Daniel Everett―into the Amazon jungle…Numbers is eye-opening, even eye-popping. And it makes a powerful case for language, as a cultural invention, being central to the making of us.”―Vyvyan Evans, New Scientist“Everett buttresses his argument with an impressive array of studies from different fields…It all adds up to a powerful and convincing case for Everett’s main thesis: that numbers are neither natural nor innate to humans but ‘a creation of the human mind, a cognitive invention that has altered forever how we see and distinguish quantities.’ Hisargument that numbers played a crucial role in the development of agriculture and the complex societies it supported is equally persuasive.”―Amir Alexander, Wall Street Journal“In this multi-disciplinary investigation, anthropologist Caleb Everett examines the seemingly limitless possibilities and innovations made possible by the evolution of number systems.”―Rachel E. Gross, Smithsonian“Caleb Everett provides a fascinating account of the development of human numeracy, from innate abilities to the complexities of agricultural and trading societies, all viewed against the general background of human cultural evolution. He successfully draws together insights from linguistics, cognitive psychology, anthropology, and archaeology in a way that is accessible to the general reader as well as to specialists. He does not avoid controversy, making this a key contribution to a developing debate.”―Bernard Comrie, University of California, Santa Barbara“In his journey through the millennia of human evolution, from the forests of Amazonia to the deserts of Australia, ever in search of a better understanding of human diversity, Caleb Everett presents a breathtaking narrative of how the human species developed one of its most distinct cognitive and linguistic achievements: to count and to use concepts of quantity to expand and enrich a wide range of cultural activities.”―Bernd Heine, University of Cologne About the Author Caleb Everett is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Miami and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐It is no exaggeration to say that modern civilization is based on a number of mathematical formulas. How did mankind formulate the numerical concept? In the first place, is the sense of numbers unique to humankind only? In “NUMBERS AND THE MAKING OF US,” Caleb Everett explains how human beings have arrived at the concept of numbers, referring to various research studies of his predecessors. Everett surprises the reader with shocking facts from the beginning. For a certain indigenous people, the future lies behind the speaker, while the past is located metaphorically in front of the speaker, as we can already see what happened in the past. This idea feels flesh to those who are accustomed to the time-series notation of Western civilization.Numbers were not naturally existed for humankind, some seemingly basic mathematical concepts are not wired into the human condition. According to Everett, basic quantity recognition skills were created as a part of language activities, are learned, and acquired through cultural and linguistic transmission. The two number senses, the approximate number sense and the exact number sense, are genetically gifted to us. He illustrates infants can recognize some disparities between quantities on an abstract, cross modal, basis, and that they are capable of doing so shortly after the birth. However, humans cannot precisely and consistently grasp exact qualities beyond three unless they have numbers. Looking at the languages of the world, the basic sense of the number of human beings tries to distinguish 1 and 2 and 3 accurately, but it seems that it is roughly good if the amount is larger than that.The human approximate number sense was present in our common mammalian ancestors. Why, if other species have the capacity to learn more elaborate kinds of numerical thought, have they not honed their own capacities over the million of years they have been evolving on a separate branch of the tree of life? Everett argues that the reason is the existence of language. This view, common mammalian ancestors have approximate number sense, also undermines prejudice against those who are not supposed to have numbers. Every small group of languages has its own way of thinking about the world. There is no difference between the culture that required the coefficient system and the culture that did not. Exact numbers are not always required. Huge numbers are not always necessary. In fact, very few have developed the coefficients such as huge numbers, places, zeros, and units. They probably arose from the need for farming, sedentism and culture of getting together and live. There is no need for hunter-gatherers to count grain quantities, troops, or taxes.Physical sensations were at the root of the intellectual system. The invention of numbers is attained through our fingers. Human beings who started bipedal walking focused on their fingers and toes, and the decimal system was born. Everett constructs the process with a wealth of imagination. Physically grounded metaphors and fictive motion are both central to the construction of mathematical reasoning. The Agricultural Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the current IT society were also brought by the creation of numbers by humankind. Can human beings, who have been getting out of the body with a heavy emphasis on the cerebral cortex and computers, continue to capture the world in the future?

⭐This is a truly an amazing book about the history of numbers. The writer had me hooked when he talked about being a Missionary kid in Amazoinia. It was his research of the indigenous people who had no number system. He did his homework from the first calculator which happems to be our ten fingers to the technology we have today. I think if the truth be told, everyone at one time or another still use their 10 digits.

⭐What’s astonishing is how uninteresting this book is. I’m all for knowledge for knowledge’s sake, and I’m fascinated with inquiring minds, and I’m always interested in numbers. However, I’m baffled by why anyone would have any interest in the minutia at the core of this book. Where do so many researchers get the funding to spend time on such unimportant subjects such as this? The book contains a few nuggets of information that I found enlightening, but they’re few and far between. Oh, and by the way, the suggestion that numbers contributed in any significant way to what we are is unsupported. There are far too many “it is possible,” “it seems likely,” “perhaps,” “it’s not implausible,” and such. The book has a very professional cover, but, as the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover.

⭐Very interesting read about the history of numbers. Had no idea how complex it all was. But don’t let the title scare you. It was a very enjoyable book regardless of your background.

⭐The discourse on Numbers and the Making of us has as much to do with our current worship of the ultimate Number–money, and thereafter religion, as it does with our past development into clans, tribes, societies and civilizations. Excellent read.

⭐Interesting concepts and global surveys of cultures and history. But the author beat his points to death with excessive repetition and self-reference, so it read (unnecessarily so) like a thesis paper.

⭐This was a gift for a person who is very interested in anthropology, science, and how things developed among humans. He really likes it; 5 star.

⭐Just what I had in mind. Arrived very quickly. I look forward to getting to be proficient with this exciting and (to me) new product.

⭐This is a book well worth reading. It will give you insight to something that you take for granted- your ability to count. The author tells a fascinating story but some might find his style just a little longwinded. He uses one word – sylleptically – that defeated the Kindle dictionary. It’s not a cheap book so it might help you to get the e book sample, to check that you can handle the author’s style. It’s this style that leads me to give this book a four rating rather than the five its content deserves.

⭐This is a fascinating book to read. Such interesting ideas and facts clearly and entertainingly described.I learned such a lot and now want to know more!

⭐It’s wonderful to understand more about the pivotal things in our lives that were not, and are not, always present. Truly fascinating. (More inventions are around the corner.)

⭐An excellent exposition of a complex matter, well argued from the author’s direct experience acquired in the field and in the laboratory.

⭐I liked the book – it was written in a way that pulled together a full range of disciplines and did so in ways that gave the ideas weight and distinctiveness.

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