Mathematicians and Luddites

Stretching an analogy real far Mathematicians are like Luddites. Yes, the actual weavers, not just the slur against people who are against technology. They were weavers in general: weavers, knitters, and cloth finishers defending the value of their skill and lifestyle. Etymology Maybe astrology for men, but just as fun. The Proto-Indo European root tek-/tekō/*tek/: to plait/to weave. Text: words and letters woven together. Context: that which is woven together (con-*). Textile. Subtle: the underlying (sub) thread. Subtext. not etymologically a duplicate of “subtle” but sure feels like one. Technology: from the word tekne, which means “craft”. Weaving is an old craft, about 20,000 years old. Flint knapping and fire making are older, and damned hard, but weaving has a combination of freedom and skill. We talk about ideas as though we were handling fabric because, for a very long time, making fabric was one of our most sophisticated skills . History of Weavers Master weavers in the Tudor…

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