"THE NOTHING THAT IS: A Natural History of Zero"

Book by: Robert Kaplan Review by: Evan Linman

What is nothing? While this paradoxical question may seem inconceivable

and difficult to answer, Robert Kaplan did an exceptional job with the absurd task
he had at hand. A Natural History Zero gives an in-depth explanation concerning
the origins of zero in modern day mathematics and how nothing is an often
overlooked but immensely important principle intertwined with existence itself.
While many would assume that a book about Zero and Nothing would be
dull, Kaplan has done an exceptional job in narrating the history
of nothingness while keeping the reader absorbed in the complex existence of
both with fantastic yet serious remarks that coerce the reader to contemplate the
seemingly simple and common ideas skillfully reiterated in this book.
Before the idea of zero, mathematics and literature had lacked a key principle
that today is at the core of countless different fundamentals that are immensely
important to life today. Early on in the book Kaplan begins to explain that even
though the ideas of Zero and Nothing did not exist in many early systems
of counting and cultures, and even though they constantly eluded discovery, hints
of their existence were indisputably prevalent and it would only be a matter of
time before their significance was unearthed. With in-depth analyses of the
origins of zero, Kaplan shows that an idea that seems so normal to us was
revolutionary and truly astounding when it was first theorized. Kaplan helps us to
truly understand that zero is not a boredom inducing nothingness, but rather
an astonishing concept of existence that has helped to modernize our world in
ways that we would never have known, along with demonstrating that the idea
of nothingness is one which baffles the mind even with the most
comprehensive of examinations

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is. The final sentence of the
book, unencumbered by an intricate explanation or elucidation, appears to have
been intentionally unaccompanied by a stunning response for the question itself
is already mind-boggling. Without assistance from an explanation by the author,
the question compels the reader to attempt to comprehend the truth behind the
query. That nothing is not only the lack of substance, like most people assume,
but is itself an entity both real and theoretical. Nothing is both the lack of matter,
the Nothing that is not there., and the presence of Nothing as a substance, or
The Nothing that is. Robert Kaplan helped trace the emergence of Zero back to
its origins as wedges drawn on wet clay and then goes on to explain the
complexities and intricacies involved in the development of the concept.
Even with the sophistication of the idea faced in the book, Kaplan has done a
superb job in clarifying the topic and making it digestible for not only authorities
on the subject but also for the books ordinary readers. With elaborate and
thought-provoking vocabulary that collaborated with his knowledgeable
commentary on the subject, Kaplan has constructed a book that truly does absorb
the reader, peak their interest, and coax them to ponder such an amazing idea in
graspable portions. Overall, A Natural History of Zero was a superlative piece of
writing that I enjoyed thoroughly and would suggest to any and all who enjoy
intellectually stimulating reads along with those who want to further their
knowledge regarding ideas that are as vital, yet as commonly overlooked as the
true origins and meaning behind the remarkable concept of Zero.