Zero is powerful because it is infinity’s twin. They are equal and opposite, yin and_x000D_ yang. They are equally paradoxical and troubling. The biggest questions in science_x000D_ and religion are about nothingness and eternity, the void and the infinite, zero and_x000D_ infinity. The clashes over zero were the battles that shook the foundations of philosophy,_x000D_ of science, of mathematics, and of religion. Underneath every revolution lay a_x000D_ zero – and an infinity.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the profound significance of the concept of zero and its relationship to infinity, highlighting their philosophical implications.
In this quote, Charles Seife explores the dual nature of zero and infinity, presenting them as foundational concepts that provoke deep philosophical inquiries. He suggests that both ideas are intertwined and central to understanding profound questions in science, mathematics, and religion, illustrating how they represent opposites yet share a unique connection that can lead to revolutionary thoughts and debates throughout history.
In practice
During a lecture on mathematics, this quote can illustrate the philosophical debates surrounding the number zero.
No one wants growth, constant expansion, physical swelling. Growth is not a human value; it's a means to the ends of sufficiency and security. Once we have enough, no one wants more, unless it is sold to us as a cheap substitute for something else, something non-material.
We may not agree with what religions are trying to teach us, but we can admire the institutional way in which they're doing it.
The murder of a dozen innocent people is unquestionably a human tragedy. But that is no excuse for reacting blindly by preventing hundreds of thousands of other people from defending themselves against meeting the same fate.
If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels.
In front of the photograph of my mother as a child, I tell myself: she is going to die: I shudder, like winnicott's psychotic patient, over a catastrophe which has already occurred. Whether or not the subject is already dead, every photograph is this catastrophe.
The Darwinian movement has made no difference to mankind, except that, instead of talking unphilosophically about philosophy, they now talk unscientifically about science.
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