I consider the 12 tone scale to be a technology. The historical temperaments were compromise solutions to the problem of getting a useable scale within the skills and patience of the musician. A harpsichord had to be tuned before every performance, by the musician.
A lot of speculation but no real answers. I find the argument about resonances between strings to be spurious since it really only applies to notes played on open strings which are a distinct minority of the notes played (not to mention that there are distinct advantages to avoiding open strings, such as the lack of the ability to apply vibrato on an open string).
Ultimately, it's a matter of string length, I think. It's worth noting that in the cello, viola and violin, all four fingers are used independently in fingering notes, but on the double bass (unless you're Joel Quarrington), you finger 1, 2, and 3+4 together since the littlest finger doesn't quite have the strength to press the string down on its own and the ring finger doesn't have the reach of the little finger.
But, like all the respondents in the discussion, I don't really know either.
The American or British mental image of a cyclist commuter[1] is very different than the Dutch or Danish one[2].
In the Netherlands cycling is just a faster and less strenuous version of walking. In America many cyclists dress like they're training for a sport event.
