Zero is silently omnipresent in our lives in almost every way, but it has had to overcome numerous obstacles over the centuries. Robert Kaplan tells us how nothingness gradually came into being, opening its way across skeptical civilizations that resisted the idea, viewed as useless devilish sorcery.
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Indians, Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, Sumerians, Babylons... they all struggled with the concept. But due to its practical convenience, zero prevailed along with positional notation, thus making Mathematics evolve into a much more effective tool and a majestic science (or is it an art?).
The second half of the book is devoted to exploring zero and its consequences, hence highlighting its importance in our time, as well as to playing around with it and to philosophical questions.
The review of this Book prepared by Andres Becerra