Originally Posted by
Sam Rutherford
Discuss...
Well first off I'd say that you must mean 'paper maps are obsolete'. I love the map that I get on my tablet with a little airplane symbol to show where I am.
The map as a concept, however it is displayed, is a supreme achievement of the human intellect. As a way of navigating they seem to have been invented in the late middle ages - prior to that if, say, you wished to go from London to York, you took a list of towns and villages to go through and relied on local knowledge. Earlier maps exist but weren't particularly expected to help you find your way. It was the concept of scale and representation accurately of bearings that made them useful tools.