the (literal, geographical) map as a tool for the mind

kobogarden 17th April 2024 at 5:13pm

There are some interesting points about tools and media throughout the book; I had never considered the map to be worthy of such attention.

The map is a medium that not only stores and transmits information but also embodies a particular mode of seeing and thinking. As mapmaking progressed, the spread of maps also disseminated the mapmaker’s distinctive way of perceiving and making sense of the world. The more frequently and intensively people used maps, the more their minds came to understand reality in the maps’ terms.