Chapter 4 - The Phylogeny and Cultural History of Number Concepts

Summary

In Chapter 4, I move the focus from ontogeny (the level of the individual) to phylogeny and cultural history (the level of communities). Starting from the question of which came first, numerals or number concepts, I review literature (e.g., Overmann) applying the material engagement theory of Malafouris, according to which numeral systems developed as the result of interactions with our environment. Following the work of dos Santos and Wiese, I then demonstrate how the most plausible explanation of the development of number concepts is that they co-evolved alongside numeral word systems. Therefore, I show how number concepts can be explained as cultural developments, which goes against nativist accounts of numbers.