(1) First, and probably most obvious, there would appear to be a sheer biophysical/imitation on the capacity of human beings to recognize, either by name or by face (i.e., to have personal knowledge of), an infinite number of their fellowmen. I know of no research which tells us the maximum numbers that can be known; human beings probably vary in their individual capacities in this regard.lO My own guess -and it is only a guess-is that the maximum number might be three or four thousand, perhaps slightly more.

QUESTION: The author himself flags this as a guess and notes no research establishes the true maximum. Worth chasing whether any subsequent science has tested this number.

XREF: This connects to the concept of Dunbar's number and social network size limits in anthropology and psychology.

Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order a…, loc. 76