The Laws of Software Process

77

Of Methods and Models and Minds

Counting

There is evidence that we cannot “recognize” much above the number 4 in

terms of simply processing visual input. We deal with larger counts by, well,

counting. We use counting so often (along with our base 10 counting model)

that it is largely effortless and seems to be something akin to a characteristic

of the universe. It is not. Counting is entirely a human invention, just one that

we have practiced so often it seems “natural.” The “natural numbers” are

more natural to people than they are to nature. Counting is a place-holding

activity. We usually process ordered strings and define our place on that

string ...