The Social Life of Numbers

A Quechua Ontology of Numbers and Philosophy of Arithmetic

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Social Life of Numbers by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina Llanos ISBN: 9780292786844
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: July 5, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina Llanos
ISBN: 9780292786844
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: July 5, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

Unraveling all the mysteries of the khipu—the knotted string device used by the Inka to record both statistical data and narrative accounts of myths, histories, and genealogies—will require an understanding of how number values and relations may have been used to encode information on social, familial, and political relationships and structures. This is the problem Gary Urton tackles in his pathfinding study of the origin, meaning, and significance of numbers and the philosophical principles underlying the practice of arithmetic among Quechua-speaking peoples of the Andes.Based on fieldwork in communities around Sucre, in south-central Bolivia, Urton argues that the origin and meaning of numbers were and are conceived of by Quechua-speaking peoples in ways similar to their ideas about, and formulations of, gender, age, and social relations. He also demonstrates that their practice of arithmetic is based on a well-articulated body of philosophical principles and values that reflects a continuous attempt to maintain balance, harmony, and equilibrium in the material, social, and moral spheres of community life.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Unraveling all the mysteries of the khipu—the knotted string device used by the Inka to record both statistical data and narrative accounts of myths, histories, and genealogies—will require an understanding of how number values and relations may have been used to encode information on social, familial, and political relationships and structures. This is the problem Gary Urton tackles in his pathfinding study of the origin, meaning, and significance of numbers and the philosophical principles underlying the practice of arithmetic among Quechua-speaking peoples of the Andes.Based on fieldwork in communities around Sucre, in south-central Bolivia, Urton argues that the origin and meaning of numbers were and are conceived of by Quechua-speaking peoples in ways similar to their ideas about, and formulations of, gender, age, and social relations. He also demonstrates that their practice of arithmetic is based on a well-articulated body of philosophical principles and values that reflects a continuous attempt to maintain balance, harmony, and equilibrium in the material, social, and moral spheres of community life.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book The Women of CourtWatch by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book No Hope for Heaven, No Fear of Hell by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book Literature and Politics in the Central American Revolutions by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book The Medium of the Video Game by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book John Ringo, King of the Cowboys by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book Defiance and Deference in Mexico's Colonial North by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book William & Rosalie: A Holocaust Testimony by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book Red Hot Mama by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book The Francklyn Land & Cattle Company by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book Probably Someday Cancer by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book Reading Palestine by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book The Euro-American Cinema by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book The Keepers of Water and Earth by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book Shore Ecology of the Gulf of Mexico by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
Cover of the book Not Without Honor by Gary Urton, Primitivo Nina  Llanos
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy