| Writing ranks with such evolutionary achievements as the taming of fire and the development of agriculture, for like both these achievements it changed the very nature of life. Writing enabled human beings to coordinate their activities with those of their fellows long leagues away. Writing made possible the construction of societies far larger and more complex than had ever been known: city-states, kingdoms, and empires. The ability to write allowed man to evolve thoughts and perform calculations of an intricacy not otherwise attainable, and thereby opened the way to mathematics and science. |
