# Why Did Humans Evolve Pure Mathematics by William H. Press > “What quirk of evolution caused us to develop the ability to do pure mathematics?” > **— William H. Press**, *2018 Edge Annual Question, question* ## Sources and Context - **Original Edge response:** [The Last Question — William H. Press](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27534) — William H. Press's question in the 2018 Annual Question collection, posed rather than asserted as a conclusion. The Edge response page is the publication record for this exact question. - **Local archival entry:** [[research/Edge 2018 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2018 Full Quotation Curation]] (EDGE2018-191). ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Ramanujan Mathematical Universe|The Ramanujan Mathematical Universe]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Human Evolution|Human Evolution]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “What quirk of evolution caused us to develop the ability to do pure mathematics?” — William H. Press, 2018 Edge Annual Question https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-william-press-did-humans-evolve-pure-mathematics ```