The History of 0

摘要: This paper juxtaposes “histories” of zero in mathematics and literature. Without zero's introduction into Europe the Renaissance, modern world calculus, set theory, international finance, “smart bombs” digital globalization would have been impossible. The origin zero, however, fades off an uncertain past. Was invented or discovered by Babylonians, Chaldeans, Indians, Greeks, Spanish Arabs, Mayans, all these at different times places? Scholars disagree. They agree, that which is both a number not number, causes intractable problems for logic, mathematics, theory. Zero has present modernist literature too, sometimes as theme, Borges Svevo; sometimes, Shakespeare, Joyce, James, George Eliot, way more integral to rhetorical form: is, figure allegorical features literary language.