******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. *****************************************************************
It is tempting to view the march of progress as an uphill climb to the present moment, and the wheel, markets, and writing as hurdles cleared in the arduous trek toward advanced civilization. Modern-day customs are the lens through which we view the past, defining success—our own condition—with a “despite” clause for others who don’t follow our own path. In reality, the Incas’ 3D records are intimidating because they are so radically outside the comfort zone of modern society and communications technologies. The Incas managed to centralize and collapse mathematics, language, accounting, and history into a durable and portable recording device. Their khipus are a perfect example of why it is dangerous to judge the past through the lens of the present. If ancient peoples were “primitive,” then we must be as well—the Incas and the narrative khipus have, after all, managed to baffle us so far. https://www.sapiens.org/technology/khipu-incas-knotty-history/ _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
