The cognitive origins of geometry (opens in new tab)

Geometry is often considered the paradigmatic model of abstract thought, with thinkers since at least Plato exploring its origins. A dominant hypothesis posits that a specialized, modular language of thought underpins our species’ unique geometric abilities. Challenging this view, I propose the Wanderers Hypothesis for Geometry, which suggests that human geometry is primarily rooted in navigation-like mental processes shared by humans and nonhuman animals and that these processes approximate ...