Page 203 - Flipping book The Adam Paradox Hypothesis - Second Edition.pdf

The Ādam Paradox Hypothesis 180
Thus, the teaching of names reflects the turning point from
fragile sparks to cumulative culture.
Innovation and the Power of Names
Imagine a small group of people, like a tiny village of 50.
Someone comes up with a clever new idea — maybe a better
way to hunt, or a new type of tool. But without a way to name
and clearly describe that idea, it doesn’t spread well. People
forget it, or the knowledge fades away when the person who
invented it dies.
The teaching of
names is such a
turning point. It
marks the shift from
fragile sparks of
creativity to the
blazing, self-
sustaining fire of
human culture.
Mathematicians describe this loss with something called an
“exponential decay curve.
” It’s like food spoiling: each day a
little more is lost, until eventually nothing remains. In small
groups, knowledge disappears very quickly.
But once people develop names and symbols — words for
tools, ideas, and techniques — everything changes. Naming
makes sharing easy. Instead of fading away, ideas stick around
and can be built upon. It’s like preserving food in jars instead
of letting it rot.
In mathematical terms, the “decay
” of knowledge slows to
almost nothing. Innovations don’t just survive — they
accumulate. Each generation adds to what came before,
creating what we call cumulative culture.
That’s why
“the teaching of names” is such a turning point. It
marks the shift from fragile sparks of creativity to the blazing,
self-sustaining fire of human culture.