191–200 of 540 posts
90% of the world's population and 68% of the land mass being in the northen hemisphere is probably a good enough reason to put north up top on a map.
Disagree completely. Your map should be bottom-heavy for stability.
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I highly recommend the book "Metaphors We Live By", which discusses how metaphors are not arbitrary, but are part of schemas. For instance, there are whole classes of orientational metaphors that fall into the schemas: "more is up, less is down", "good is up, bad is down", "virtue is up, depravity is down", "rational is up, emotional is down", "having control is up, being subject to control is down", and so on. (Yes,…
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90% of the world's population and 68% of the land mass being in the northen hemisphere is probably a good enough reason to put north up top on a map.
I do wonder if early world explorers had been from the southern hemisphere and a tradition of "south up" was already established, if it would still look better to us to have more land on top.
No, the preference is conventional.
I should note, though, that Chinese maps were traditionally south-up. There's no reason to expect what hemisphere people are from to control that decision.
(Not only did the Chinese come from the northern hemisphere - they had an official orthodoxy holding that the north of China, where they originated, was morally superior to the south!
Nevertheless, they drew their maps with south at the top and referred to compasses as "south-pointing needles".)
In Japan, physical maps like in parks and city information booths are oriented to be aligned with the actual geography. Meaning, north on the map points to actual north. Made me think of how much more accurate the end to end process of putting up that map has to be vs. maps oriented by "north is up". Just imagine the map needs to be moved by 10m and rotated around for some last minute restructuring of the park before…
Yeah, sure, I've heard that before... master/slave, black/white lists... and now, north/south. I wonder what they'll come up with now to explain reading from left to right (don't even think about the majority of right-handed writers, that would ruin the fun). ".snoitnevnoc fo yticilpmis eht dnihneb noitnetni neddih a eb ot dnuob si erehT"
I mean several languages are right to left? I'd be interested to see if handedness in those countries is different.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_North_and_Global_South
Such grouping is based on dubious theories. For example, China is classified as a "developing economy" (red), even though it is one of only three countries with the independent capability to send humans into Earth's orbit using its own launch systems and spacecraft.
They may deserve to be reclassified now, although their GDP per capita is still much lower than the US.
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> so if two people or other creatures are fighting, one who is higher is generally at an advantage compared to one who is lower or lying on the ground Tell that to a BJJ fighter.
BJJ fighters still think higher up is an advantage. Body weight to press down on opponent, greater freedom of movement.
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I do wonder if early world explorers had been from the southern hemisphere and a tradition of "south up" was already established, if it would still look better to us to have more land on top.
I suppose we can ask Australians and the kiwis.
Though it appears we don't have any cities.