I must confess. I have lived my life in the shadow of Mercator. His projection makes Greenland as big as Africa. Other countries gained or lost. This caused no dismay in the days of the British Empire. There was so much more to colour red in those countries far from the Equator.
I guess I am not the only one who has led a skewed life. Mercator had plenty going for him. His map of the world allowed every map-reader to look due north for the North Pole. For some that was more important than other considerations. It was easier to project on to a flat piece of paper.
Which makes me think. We are conditioned by usage in such matters. Greenland will always be big in our estimation. Africa will suffer by comparison. It’s a bit like living in ‘Great’ Britain.
It’s also a bit like living in a big or small house. We develop habits of one sort or another. It’s more like inheriting a language. We think in the way our linguistic ancestors thought. Or perhaps it’s more like bring brought up in a particular religious faith. That often impresses us with ouir position as creatures of a Creator. Willy-nilly we know we have been invested with a particular understanding or meaning or we take the view that super-human is on his way to replace us.
Mercator cast a huge shadow. So did the person who decided that we needed a decimal rather than a duodecimal system. And as for whoever was responsible for the range of alphabets at human disposal, we can only marvel. And the torture chamber that is English spelling just grew. It has been a coercive factor in shaping English society. Not surprisingly none of these systems in daily use is entirely acceptable. And Mercator teaches us to be humble when we speculate on an after-life.
What then are we to do about the inadequacies of Mercator? Should we drop him like some stowaway at the first port of call and forget he ever existed? No, kept in his place, he can be useful. Better to buy a globe.
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