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[–] goatboy 1 point 7 points (+8|-1) ago  (edited ago)

No. I'm pissed that we haven't adopted a new base 2 binary system, or a base e system, or a base pi system, or a base i (as in the sqrt of -1) based system, or a polar coordinate based system, or a system based on the average daily growth of beard hair. We could use whatever system we want, but are stuck using only the US Customary or the Metric system. The problem is the model of measurement we use informs the modes of thinking we restrict ourselves to. The base 12 system of the Babylonians probably arose from counting time at night using one's knuckles when looking at constellation's rising. This made them interested in dividing circles evenly, and were fascinated by stars and the zodiac. The British were obsessed with land ownership and inheritances and their measurement system reflected the size of a king's foot to stake out the sovereign's claims to title. American cowboys were interested in the power of their horses and measured things by their hands and understood power in terms of horsepower.

The way we measure things shows what is important to our culture, but also our culture informs the way we evolve measuring things. The US customary units show intrinsic American stubbornness and rigor. The metric system shows the Austrian fascination with absolute precision, infinitely growing, infinitely dividing systems, efficiency, and ultimately- to uncertainty itself. Both systems have value, use, and elevate human consciousness in different and meaningful ways. However, they are not the only ways of understanding or biasing our views about the universe.