Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea book cover

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Hardcover – February 7, 2000

by
Price
$35.00
Format
Hardcover
Pages
256
Publisher
Viking Adult
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0670884575
Dimensions
5 x 1.25 x 8.75 inches
Weight
15.2 ounces

Description

The seemingly impossible Zen task--writing a book about nothing--has a loophole: people have been chatting, learning, and even fighting about nothing for millennia. Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea , by noted science writer Charles Seife, starts with the story of a modern battleship stopped dead in the water by a loose zero, then rewinds back to several hundred years BCE. Some empty-headed genius improved the traditional Eastern counting methods immeasurably by adding zero as a placeholder, which allowed the genesis of our still-used decimal system. It's all been uphill from there, but Seife is enthusiastic about his subject; his synthesis of math, history, and anthropology seduces the reader into a new fascination with the most troubling number. Why did the Church reject the use of zero? How did mystics of all stripes get bent out of shape over it? Is it true that science as we know it depends on this mysterious round digit? Zero opens up these questions and lets us explore the answers and their ramifications for our oh-so-modern lives. Seife has fun with his format, too, starting with chapter 0 and finishing with an appendix titled "Make Your Own Wormhole Time Machine." (Warning: don't get your hopes up too much.) There are enough graphs and equations to scare off serious numerophobes, but the real story is in the interactions between artists, scientists, mathematicians, religious and political leaders, and the rest of us--it seems we really do have nothing in common. --Rob Lightner From Publishers Weekly In a lively and literate first book, science journalist Seife takes readers on a historical, mathematical and scientific journey from the infinitesimal to the infinite. With clever devices such as humorously titled and subtitled chapters numbered from zero to infinity, Seife keeps the tone as light as his subject matter is deep. By book's end, no reader will dispute Seife's claim that zero is among the most fertile--and therefore most dangerous--ideas that humanity has devised. Equally powerful and dangerous is its inseparable counterpart, infinity, for both it and zero invoke to many the divine power that created an infinite universe from the void. The power of zero lies in such a contradiction, and civilization has struggled with it, alternatively seeking to ban and to embrace zero and infinity. The clash has led to holy wars and persecutions, philosophical disputes and profound scientific discoveries. In addition to offering fascinating historical perspectives, Seife's prose provides readers who struggled through math and science courses a clear window for seeing both the powerful techniques of calculus and the conundrums of modern physics: general relativity, quantum mechanics and their marriage in string theory. In doing so, Seife, this entertaining and enlightening book reveals one of the roots of humanity's deepest uncertainties and greatest insights. BOMC selection. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal This is a very light treatment of big ideas. In the first chapters, Seife, a correspondent for New Scientist, skims over the historical and intellectual development of zero, covered more thoughtfully in Robert Kaplan's The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero (LJ 10/1/99). Seife then stresses the connections between zero and infinity and explains calculus, quantum mechanics, relativity, the Big Bang, and string theory to show that they depend on zero and infinity. This is much too much ground to cover when the reader is assumed not to know basic algebra, and the book's central claim becomes very weak, not saying much more than that string theory requires the system of modern mathematics. The prose style reflects Seife's occupation as a science journalist: fast-paced and colorful but repetitious, oversimplified, and exaggerated ("Not only does zero hold the secret to our existence, it will also be responsible for the end of the universe"). Recommended for larger public libraries, while smaller libraries on a budget should acquire Kaplan's book. [BOMC selection.]--Kristine Fowler, Mathematics Lib., Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapoli. ---Kristine Fowler, Mathematics Lib., Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist A cipher signifying only defeat and failure for the scorekeeper or the accountant, zero emerges as a daunting intellectual riddle in this fascinating chronicle. With remarkable economy, Seife urges his readers to peer through the zero down into the abyss of absolute emptiness and out into the infinite expanse of space. For only then can readers begin to fathom the horror of the Western philosophers who recoiled from the threat of this symbolic invention--even as Hindus and then Moslems embraced it. Arabic numbers finally won acceptance in the West as business tools, but Seife shows how hard it was to keep the zero confined to the ledger book: soon it was showing up in Pascal's wager of faith and in Newton's calculus. Deftly and surely, Seife recounts the historical debates, then swiftly rolls the zero right up to the present day, where he plunges through its perilous opening down into the voracious maw of a black hole, and then out into the deep freeze of an ever cooling cosmos. A must read for every armchair physicist. Bryce Christensen "'The universe begins and ends with zero.' So does Seife's book, but his readers, after finishing, will feel they've experienced a considerable something." -- Christopher Lehmann-Haupt "Mr. Seife is the United States correspondent for New Scientist and recounts his story as an accomplished science journalist, standing on the outside bringing clarity to complex ideas.... Mr. Seife also gracefully surveys the weirdness of modern physics, where vacuums exert pressure and notions of 'zero-point energy' inspire fantasies of space travel." -- Edward Rothstein, The New York Times, 25 December 1999 "Seife tells stories of mathematicians involved in the denial or promotion of zero that are as incredible as the plot of Pi.... If the popularizers of mathematics continue to churn out such bizarre stories, math has a secure place in mass culture, able to compete with the wildest fare served up by Jerry Springer and the tabloids." -- Paul Hoffman, Time magazine, 6 December 1999 Charles Seife has made a marvelously entertaining something out of nothing. By simply telling the tale of zero, Seife provides a fresh and fascinating history not only of mathematics but also of science, philosophy, theology, and even art. An impressive debut for a promising young science writer." -- John Horgan, Author of The End of Science ZERO: THE BIOGRAPHY OF A DANGEROUS IDEA describes with good humor and wonder how one digit has bedeviled and fascinated thinkers from ancient Athens to Los Alamos. Charles Seife deftly argues that the concept of nothingness and its show-off twin, infinity, have repeatedly revolutionized the foundations of civilization and philosophical thought. If you're already a fan of mathematics or science, you will enjoy this book; if you're not, you will be by the time you finish it." -- John Rennie, Editor in chief of Scientific American Charles Seife is the author of five previous books, including Proofiness and Zero, which won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for first nonfiction and was a New York Times notable book. He has written for a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times, Wired, New Scientist, Science, Scientific American, and The Economist . He is a professor of journalism at New York University and lives in New York City. From The Washington Post "From the first page to the last, Seife maintains a level of clarity and infectious enthusiasm that is rare in science writing, and practically unknown among those who dare to explain mathematics. Zero is really something!" Read more

Features & Highlights

  • A "biography" of the most vexing and troublesome number in human history reveals how the Babylonians invented it, why the Greeks were afraid of it and the Hindus worshipped, the role it played in hunting down heretics in the Middle Ages, and its current place in the Y2K issue. Original.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

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Most Helpful Reviews

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Good, but I prefer another on the subject of zero

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.
240 people found this helpful
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Wonderful story of God's banana peel

It may well be the most potent force in the universe. The Greeks were scared to death of it. Aristotle wouldn't permit it(and the Catholic Church's vice-grip on Aristotelianism held Western science and mathematics back for centuries). But this force does not discriminate; it delights in tripping up secular science as well. Certain forms of mathematics must ignore it in order to work. String theory basically pretends it isn't there. It is, as stated on the book jacket, "a timebomb ticking in the heart of astrophysics."
Zero.
Charles Seife's history of zero(and of infinity, which is awfully close to the same thing, as Seife elegantly demonstrates)is one of the most interesting and thought-provoking books I have read in a long time. There are mathematical and scientific equations and concepts aplenty here, but they were not daunting for this manifestly un-mathematic non-scientist. Seife has a fascinating story to tell and he tells it with enthusiasm. I cannot recommend Zero too highly.
165 people found this helpful
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Tedious and poorly argued

A chore to make it through. Seife's account of the history of the acceptance of zero is mildly interesting, but very repetitive. Seife repeatedly makes value judgements and then doesn't justify them (For example, he complains many times about the damage that the exclusion of zero has done to the calendar, without ever going into detail about why anyone should care as much as he seems to about the supposed damage).
Seife should have stuck to history though; his attempts to tie together disparate areas of physics with zero as rhetorical glue amount to little more than annoying handwaving.
39 people found this helpful
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Engaging and Enlightening

I can't recommend this book highly enough. For everyone who has ever struggled with mathematics, this book shows that through history mathematicians also had their struggles with what might appear to be the simplest of numbers, zero. While focusing squarely on the history of zero, the book leaves the reader with so much more. By the end, you have an appreciation for the subtlety and beauty of mathematics. To illustrate, in one chapter Seife tells how a the student of the famous Gauss, using ideas found by a Frenchman who was imprisoned in Russia, found that zero and infinity are twins diguised as opposites.
Seife's writing is clear and engaging. I read this book much like I might read a well woven spy thriller, finding myself spending that extra few minutes indulging in luxurious reading rather than proceeding with mundane necessities of life (i.e., sleep).
And, as another reviewer has done, to contrast this book with another recent volume on the same topic, Kaplan's The Nothing that Is, the differences are remarkable. Succinctly, it is the difference between an enjoyable read and a grinding burden. Kaplan's book is unfocused, leaving the reader confused about where in time or space the historical events are occuring. Kaplan's side trips of literary fancy were very distracting to me and added little to the story. And story is the key. In Zero, Seife is telling a story and clearly enjoying telling it on its own terms. Kaplan did not tell a story, leaving the reader wondering why any particular part is being told. I understood from the start what Kaplan was trying to do, and I was bewildered that he failed so horribly. Seife's is, hands down, the better book on the subject of the history of zero.
26 people found this helpful
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Depends on what you're looking for.

I found this book to be unsatisfying because I was hoping for something more detailed and scholarly. However, if you are looking for a very general discussion, and you have no previous knowledge about the history of mathematics or the ideas of modern physics, you may enjoy this. Simply stated, if you would rather read a joke about Pythagoras than any details of his life or times, this book will give it to you.
I would divide this book into two parts: the first is an extremely cursory treatment of the history of zero. If you are at all familiar with the history of mathematics (for example, the ideas of Aristotle, Pythagoras, Zeno's paradox, the Mayan calendar, the golden ratio, and the Fibonacci sequence) you will learn almost nothing new. There is no reasearch or detail here; only very general discussion similar to what you might get if you pulled up a web page or two on the subject.
The second part is an equally general treatment of zero and infinity as it relates to modern science. If you know even the most basic ideas behind relativity and black holes, for example, you will receive no extra elucidation from this book. Frankly, I do not believe that this second part even belongs in the book. Rather than focusing on the history of zero, it is instead a mish-mash of ideas that remotely involve zero.
Even if you have no prior knowledge of the subject whatsoever, you might still find this book unsatisfactory. I found the numerous puns and jokes to be distracting, not helpful, and not funny. Here is an example for you to judge:
"Dividing by zero once -- just one time -- allows you to prove, mathematically, anything at all in the universe. You can prove that 1 + 1 = 42, and from there you can prove that J. Edgar Hoover was a space alien, that William Shakespeare came from Uzbekistan, or even that the sky is polka-dotted. (See appendix A for a proof that Winston Churchill was a carrot.)"
Another problem is that even if you are looking for a book with simple explanations, the author does not do a good job here either. He certainly makes the attempt to keep things simple, but his analogies and explanations are often strange or confusing. If I weren't familiar with most of the ideas already, I'm not sure I would understand them now either. In some cases I had to go to outside sources to figure out what the author was talking about, even regarding subjects I had some knowledge of already.
25 people found this helpful
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A good biography but few profound ideas

I had high hopes for this book. The history of science is as rich a history as any. Charles Seife does, at least on average, give a fascinating account of the origin and progress of zero. Where Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea fails is in its attempts to turn simple concepts into the focus of profound discussion. Zero, as Mr. Seife himself explains, is simply a symbol for nothing. At around the halfway point in the text, zero starts taking on magical properties instead of staying consistent with earlier explanations. For example, much time is spent on the idea that five times zero is equal to zero, just as ten times zero. The book sees this as profound and the further in the book you go the more ambiguous such simple concepts become. The text does deserve three stars for being a well-written biography. It is just unfortunate that one forth of the book is desperately trying to confuse the reader into believing that zero is more then a symbol for nothing.
13 people found this helpful
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a good history of the science of mathematics

This is an excellent history of ideas in mathematics, not just zero but also its equally mysterious partner infinity. I suspect a lot of the culturally acceptable failings of people with mathematics is that the subject has been taught primarily without people, without history. This history of zero should be part of any mathematics course, as should Rudy Ruckers 'Infinity and the Mind' - curiously absent from the bibliography here. The fascination of Fermat's last therorem (and of the man himself), of genuises like Gauss (and, yes, it is good to note that there were problems that even he could not do!), of eccentrics like Erdos, will go a long way to motivating a study of mathematics. There are a couple of places where mistakes have crept into the text but it's fun to suspect these and then assure yourself that these are indeed mistakes. On the whole, however, I could not recommend this book enough. I do happen to have a mathematical background - it would be of interest to me to see how a mathematics novice would grasp the ideas in this book - my suspicion is that they would be carried along just like I was.
4 people found this helpful
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A book with a deceptively simple title

This is a very well written and thought out book, that touches not just upon mathematics of the '0,' but also on the impact of the idea of '0' and infinity on social and itellectual development of human societies.
People who should read this book are the ones who are interested in how our society with its intellectual inheretance emerged, and apparently the impact of 'zero' on the development of that inheritance is far from zero.
In general, the mathematical concepts are discussed in broad, comprehensive and very accessable manner.
4 people found this helpful
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Zero

The subject of the book could be described as "the metaphysics, physics, and mathematics of 'zero and the void, infinity and the infinite'." The mathematical concepts of zero and infinity are often conflated with analogous metaphysical and physical concepts, and this makes the text confused, unclear, and occasionally annoying.

No topic is given a lot of attention. Topics include the use of zero as a placeholder in mathematical notation, Zeno's Achilles-paradox of motion, infinite addition, infinite division and the infinitely small, zero as a cardinal number and as an ordinal number, the void as a metaphysical and physical concept, God and the infinite, perspectival drawing and the vanishing point of "an infinite zero", vacuum and atmospheric pressure, infinitesimals, tangents, volume and the calculus, irrational numbers, imaginary numbers and complex numbers, projective geometry, Cantor's infinities, absolute zero temperature, zero-point energy, black holes, worm holes, strings, and the big bang.

"Zero is behind all the big puzzles in physics. The infinite density of the black hole is a division by zero. The big bang creation from the void is a division by zero. The infinite energy of the vacuum is a division by zero. Yet dividing by zero destroys the fabric of mathematics and the framework of logic - and threatens to undermine the very basis of science." (214)
3 people found this helpful
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A most engaging of books

Charles Seife has written an excellent book on the concept of zero. An idea that had been taken for granted for years. No one really understand the meaning of the value of the concept of zero at first, but once contemplated, the concept is quite ingenious.

I thought Seife did a very admirable job introducing the concept, following along on the chronology and explaining why it was such a devious and subversive concept to the church and to philosophy in general. I found his explanations lucid and clear and the history is quite interesting. The chapter on projective geometry was particularly enlightening.

Where he really shines is when he coupled zero with infinity. I have always had a real problem with the relativity concept, even when I was studying physics. But Seife does an excellent job explaining all of the ideas. Where he falters is where he tries to make the connection between the numbers with the theories of modern physics, perhaps it is the problem with the concept of superstrings that bogs the narrative down into the morass of incomprehention, but the narrative does bog down when it enters this section. Since Brian Green has written a much bigger and thicker book on the subject of superstrings, I would hazard to guess that the fault does not lie with Seife but with the subject, which is, by the way, a sub-area of the book, so I wouldn't worry about it. Even if no one understands the connection between modern physics and zero, the book is a rewarding read.
3 people found this helpful

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