> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: David Graeber and Dan Wengrow > Reference:: Graeber, D. and Wengrow, D. (2021) ‘The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity’. > Date:: 2021 > Tags:: #warp > WeftLinks:: [[Scientific value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - The physical manipulation of materials can help solve an abstract problem]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > According to anthropologists, the physical manipulation of materials in crafting provides a basis for solving abstract mental problems. ### Highlights > Textiles, basketry, network, matting and cordage were most likely always developed in parallel with the cultivation of edible plants, which also implies the development of mathematical and geometrical knowledge that is (quite literally) intertwined with the practice of these crafts. > People started using its plastic qualities to figure out mental problems, making small geometric tokens that many see as direct precursors to later systems of mathematical notation (Clay)