Human culture has evolved from the very first tools to the most sophisticated
ideas and concepts, spreading across the globe in waves that are difficult
to comprehend. And, far too often, pockets of human culture have found
themselves stalled out in cultural and ideational stasis, assuming that their
conception of culture is “the end of history”, where all other culture is wrong-
headed. No human settlement can be strictly separated from the cultural
conceptions that organize and govern them. And clearly, science and technology
have their origins in cultural conceptions and ideas about natural history. But,
the geography and temporal extent of cultures and ideas have spread across the
globe in ways their originators never would have imagined. Today’s societies
must better understand how they have been shaped by the history of culture and
ideas, often from far away lands, and times long ago. MapStory offers this space
for all kinds of StoryLayers and MapStories, both historical and present-day,
which capture the origins of various cultural dynamics and innovative ideas that
have changed humanity’s behavior, its intentions, and it’s view of itself and the
world around it.