Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Good, but I prefer another

I've recently read both Charles Seife's 'Zero:The Biography of a Dangerous Idea' and Robert Kaplan's 'The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero.' They are at the same time very similar and very different. They each follow an almost identical line, presenting the evolution of zero chronologically, and they each make almost identical stops along the way. The difference is in how they treat the steps in zero's evolution which is conditioned by their differing metaphysical views. An illuminating example is how they each treat Aristotle's role in zero's history. Charles Seife, from the beginning, reifies zero: the author accepts the misconception that zero is some sort of actually existing mystical force resting at the center of black holes. He doesn't step back to take a look at the concept as concept. Nor does he appear to keep in mind that mathematics is the science of measurement, or that time is not a force or dimension, but merely a measurement of motion. This distorts his perspective, from which he attempts to refute Aristotle's refutation of the existence of the void: for Seife, zero exists and is a force in and of itself. In Seife's hands, zero certainly is a dangerous idea! Robert Kaplan, on the other hand, delves deeper. His work is informed by an obvious love for history and classic literature, and while this results in many obscure literary asides, one feels that this book takes part in the Great Conversation. As a result he steps back and takes a critical look at the true meaning and usefulness of the concept as a concept. Is zero a number? Is it noun, adjective, or verb? Does it actually exist outside of conceptual consciousness or is it exclusively a tool of the mind? Both authors follow zero's role in the development of algebra and the calculus. As a math 'infant', this reader, having read Seife's book first, found that the explanations of these two developments by Kaplan cleared away the haze, which Seife's book was unable to do. I found both books to be illuminating. Seife's book contains much valuable historical information. He did his homework. If one were to read only this book on the subject, one would have learned a great deal about the history of mathematics. But if I were to have to choose one to recommend, it would be Kaplan's book. It is more informed, more seasoned, more honestly inductive in its approach.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great book, not just for math-lovers

Fans of science, history, math, or philosophy will dig this. Hell, even if you hate any of those subjects, read this book!

Choose another Zero book

The philosophy and history of the concept of "nothing" is an interesting one with a lot of repercussions. I can't really say that Seife did it justice, though. The writing is not as focused as it could be, some sections getting repetitive and his analogies don't quite work. And, quite frankly, I don't know why anyone would spend time describing Pascal's Wager without pointing out how logically inconsistent and culturally biased it is. In short, not a bad book, just not really recommended. Especially since others have tackled the subject.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's not just a number.

I have to admit math is not my greatest subjects but I really enjoyed this book because of it's historical back ground. It explains how zero had been seen by the Greeks and Egyptians to name a few; and it also contains some good art work which helps make some sense of what your are reading if you did not get it the first time.

I wish this book was around when I was going through school.

I wish books like where around when I was going taking math in high school and college. Teachers never explained all the deep historical and philsophical wonders of math and how it affects everything around us everyday like religion, art, music and the meaning of life. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is in high school or college and doesn't understand why they should pay attention in math classes!

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