What I took away from this is: using combinations of a limited set of symbols to convey meaning is durable (as society advances or retreats and technology chang

What I took away from this is: using combinations of a limited set of symbols to convey meaning is durable (as society advances or retreats and technology changes). This makes sense because human thinking, for the most part, seems to be symbolic (i.e. using a smaller, simpler thing to represent a larger more complex thing). Text is just one such form. Drawings, sculptures, JPG files, videos etc. are more precise and are better at conveying a specific object or event, but not necessarily its meaning. If I remember correctly, Neal Stephenson's Anathem deals with some of these themes.