The salience and symbolism of numbers across cultural beliefs and practice

Abstract

Numbers are ubiquitous to modern existence and have evolved with humanity over millenia. They structure, record and quantify human behaviour, spiritual belief systems and the evolution of innovation across all spheres of life. Furthermore, cultural identities and interpersonal expression often have numerical components to them for instance rites of passage, population demography and fiscal measures. The salience of numbers in both historical and contemporary cultural life arguably plays a role in individual psyches and the experience of distress or wellness. This paper illustrates the cultural relativism of numbers through superstition and foreboding to auspiciousness in different societies. As a short hand for the quantification of multiple phenomena in low literacy to high technology populations, rural and urban societies as well as traditional and evolving societies, numbers have and will continue to be core to all cultures as they have from prehistoric to contemporary times.

Keywords:

• Numbers
• numerology
• numeracy
• culture
• religion
• spirituality
• superstition

Acknowledgements

The authors of this paper would like to acknowledge the elders and knowledge keepers of the different cultures consulted in the preparation of the manuscript. A special recognition is also given to Sara Wolfe for her Indigenous Anishnawbe and First Nation insights.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

Al-Hijr, S. (2020). [15:43-44] – Al-Qur’an al-Kareem – . Retrieved April 6, 2020, from https://quran.com/15/43-44