invention of Euclidean space is, itself, a direct result of the 
action of the phonetic alphabet on the human senses. Nor had 
he realized that number is an extension of the physical body of 
man, an extension of our sense of touch. The “infinity of 
functional processes,” into which Spengler gloomily saw 
traditional number and geometry dissolving, is, also, the 
extension of our central nervous system in electrical 
technologies. We need not feel grateful to apocalyptic writers 
like Spengler, who see our technologies as cosmic visitors from 
outer space. The Spenglers are tribally entranced men who 
crave the swoon back into collective unconsciousness and all 
the intoxication of number. In India the idea of darshan —of the 
mystical experience of being in very large gatherings—stands at 
the opposite end of the spectrum from the Western idea of 
conscious values.