Body-based units of measure in cultural evolution
成果类型：
Article
署名作者：
Kaaronen, Roope O.; Manninen, Mikael A.; Eronen, Jussi T.
署名单位：
University of Helsinki
刊物名称：
SCIENCE
ISSN/ISSBN：
0036-10266
DOI：
10.1126/science.adf1936
发表日期：
2023-06-02
页码：
948-954
关键词：
摘要：
Measurement systems are important drivers of cultural and technological evolution. However, the evolution of measurement is still insufficiently understood. Many early standardized measurement systems evolved from body-based units of measure, such as the cubit and fathom, but researchers have rarely studied how or why body-based measurement has been used. We documented body-based units of measure in 186 cultures, illustrating how body-based measurement is an activity common to cultures around the world. Here, we describe the cultural and technological domains these units are used in. We argue that body-based units have had, and may still have, advantages over standardized systems, such as in the design of ergonomic technologies. This helps explain the persistence of body-based measurement centuries after the first standardized measurement systems emerged.