Backs to the Future
Backs to the Future from PhysOrg.com
New analysis of the language and gesture of South America’s indigenous Aymara people indicates they have a concept of time opposite to all the world’s studied cultures — so that the past is ahead of them and the future behind.
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This is a highly interesting phenomenon. We’ve always taken for an axiom of psychology that peoples all over the world have used the position of “forward” to conceive of the future and “rearward” for the past. What, then, of these peoples of South America, who defy this axiom?
Technorati Tags: cognition, language, South America, tribe
2 Responses to “Backs to the Future”
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a dessi Says:
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:35:34Highly interesting, indeed. Do they know something we don’t? Since we are forced to say oxymorons like “‘hindsight’ is always 20/20″ and “we can’t see what’s ‘ahead’”… If you think about it logically, the past is what we’ve already seen (spread before us) and the future is as invisible as anything behind us is. Hmmm.
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Brandon Says:
June 22nd, 2006 at 21:04:57Wow! This is the coolest thing I’ve read in a while. And I love your input “a dessi”
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:35:34
Highly interesting, indeed. Do they know something we don’t? Since we are forced to say oxymorons like “‘hindsight’ is always 20/20″ and “we can’t see what’s ‘ahead’”… If you think about it logically, the past is what we’ve already seen (spread before us) and the future is as invisible as anything behind us is. Hmmm.
June 22nd, 2006 at 21:04:57
Wow! This is the coolest thing I’ve read in a while. And I love your input “a dessi”