The Book Of Nothing

Author: Barrow, John D.

Brand: VINTAGE

Binding: Paperback

Number Of Pages: 400

Release Date: 25-09-2001

Part Number: 9780099288459

Details: Product Description
How do you begin to understand the concept of nothing? Where does it begin and where does it end?From the zeros of the mathematician to the void of the philosophers, from Shakespeare to the empty set, from the ether to the quantum vacuum, from being and nothingness to creatio ex nihilo, there is much ado about nothing at the heart of things. Recent exciting discoveries in astronomy are shown to shed new light on the nature of the vacuum and its dramatic effect upon the explanation of the Universe. This remarkable book ranges over every nook and cranny of nothingness to reveal how the human mind has had to make something of nothing in every field of human enquiry.
Review
The startling story of the West's intellectual struggle with the concept of zero is told with admirable elegance and clarity ―
New Statesman

When it comes to explaining the trickiest ideas John Barrow goes the extra mile which helps you to understand when going on ―
Guardian

An entertaining and informative account of how the zero came into being in ancient civilisations such as the Babylonian and Egyptian...I am happy to report that
nothing is full of interesting reading ―
New Scientist
From the Inside Flap
One of our foremost mathematicians and cosmologists ? John Barrow has a proven ability to make complex ideas easily accessible to the reader. Beginning with ancient civilizations, he explores how the zero came into being, its rocky reception in Europe, and the early avoidance and eventual acceptance of the void by Christianity. Investigating the concept of nothing through the work of writers from the ancient Greeks to the present, he examines mathematics, cosmology, theology and physics to reveal the nothing that is at the heart of most things. Finally, Barrow spotlights recent exciting discoveries in astronomy about the nature of the vacuum which are dramatically affecting scientific explanations of the universe.
From the Back Cover
“The startling story of the West’s intellectual struggle with the concept of zero is told with admirable elegance and clarity.” –
New Statesman
About the Author
John D. Barrow is Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Director of the Millennium Mathematics Project at Cambridge University, Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and formerly Professor of both Geometry and Astronomy at Gresham College, London. His previous books include
The Book of Nothing,
The Constants of Nature,
The Infinite Book,
Cosmic Imagery, the bestselling
100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know,
The Book of Universes, and, most recently,
100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Sport.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Nothingology —
Flying to Nowhere

'Nothing', it has been said, 'is an awe-inspiring yet essentially undigested concept, highly esteemed by writers of a mystical or existentialist tendency, but by most others regarded with anxiety, nausea, and panic.'Nobody seems to know how to handle it and perplexingly diverse conceptions of it exist in different subjects.Just take a look at the entry for 'nothing' in any good dictionary and you will find a host of perplexing synonyms: nil, none, nowt, nulliform, nullity — there is a nothing for every occasion. There are noughts of all sorts to zero-in on, from zero points to zero hours, ciphers to nulliverses.There are concepts that are vacuous, places that are evacuated, and voids of all shapes and sizes. On the more human side, there are nihilists, nihilianists, nihilarians, nihilagents, nothingarians, nullifideans, nullibists,nonentities and nobodies. Every walk of life seems to have its own personification of nothing. Even the financial pages of my newspaper tell me that 'zeros'are an increasingly attractive source of income.

Some zeros seem positively obscure, almost circumlocutory. Tennis can't bring itself to use so blunt a thing a

EAN: 9780099288459

Package Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches

Languages: English