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history of anthropology

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Understanding numbers as cognitive technology

The Whorf hypothesis says language shapes human thought. A small indigenous group with few number words puts the idea to the test.

Dominoes with colorful dots
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Darwin witnessing the plagues of European colonization

He described the destruction of Indigenous peoples as the result of a “mysterious agency” but saw the evidence of infectious disease firsthand.

The sailing ship H.M.S. Beagle with a small craft bearing dark-skinned people