[ks2048]

I’m not sure it’s arbitrary.

For one, starting at the top and ending at the bottom is natural progress of things because of gravity.

I’m not sure if that means anything, but down-to-up seems very unnatural (of coure I can’t ignore my cultural biases). Is there any writing systems like that?

[dylan604]

Just look at how all of the continents tend to be shaped like they are dripping down. That just proves TFA map is upside down.

Any one can make arbitrary reasons to support a decision.

[lovecg]

It is indeed rare, I could find only a single example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanunoo_script

[jama211]

Gravity is just a random natural process to pick for your point. You could just as easily say “bottom to top is natural because that’s the direction trees grow”.

It’s all arbitrary.

[shpx]

I don't think "natural" is used metaphorically. If you had an accurate simulation of the human hand you could show that one of the directions minimizes energy usage and damage to your hand, and I think it's the one we use. Starting high means gravity is helping you move down the page, and it's also easier to move your hand towards you than away from you, and the many small movements (rather than the one big one to the top of the next page) are where more energy is spent because of friction.

Writing is done by people and people are almost always subject to gravity. It's one of the 4 fundamental forces. Energy minimization is not an arbitrary selection criteria, it's central to the fitness/design of all living things.

[jama211]

I can agree moving down the page is probably more common due to human mechanics, AND say that trying to make the argument the way they did wasn’t particularly sensible.

[ks2048]

I don't think it takes knowledge of gravity/energy/entropy to generalize that things more naturally "fall down" rather things naturally "rise up". But, it's probably a stretch to say that influenced writing direction.

Others have made a possibly more relevant point - in one direction, your arm/hand will block what you have already written.

[jama211]

More languages read right to left than left to right despite most people being right handed, so the blocking what you’ve written thing doesn’t seem to add up either.

I agree human mechanics is likely the reason people tend to write down rather than up though. But I’d say it’s more about our muscles, we’re stronger pulling our arms in than pushing them out. But I’m no expert so would never claim confidence in my assumption there.

[bandie91]

yes and we daily see plants growing upward rapidly like 9.8 m/s²... maybe vapour and smoke going up are which we experience collectively as upward going things, but those are quite rare compared to like everything which falls to the ground.

[jama211]

I think you missed my actual point, which is that anyone can pick an arbitrary explanation.

[mryijum]

yeah it's remarkable how many comments in this thread seem to be grasping onto random facts as if they represent a non-arbitrary justification.

is this a contrarian impulse or an anti-contrarian impulse?

[jama211]

People latch hardest onto a random explanation when they have the least idea what’s going on. The more someone knows, the more complicated and “it depends” their answer will be I’ve found.

A green flag for me that someone might be an expert is when their attitude towards answering a questions has that “it depends” energy.