Value Inquiry Book Series The Origin and Significance of Zero

Interdisciplinary perspective on the origin and significance of the numeral zero. Over 40 international scholars explore zero under four broad themes: history; religion, philosophy & linguistics; arts; and mathematics & science. With the existing research being very specialized, this is the first serious interdisciplinary study. Winner of the 2024 Outstanding Academic Titles award in Choice, a publishing unit of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Zero has been axial in human development, but the origin and discovery of zero has never been satisfactorily addressed by a comprehensive, systematic and above all interdisciplinary research program. In this volume, over 40 international scholars explore zero under four broad themes: history; religion, philosophy & linguistics; arts; and mathematics & the sciences. Some propose that the invention/discovery of zero may have been facilitated by the prior evolution of a sophisticated concept of Nothingness or Emptiness (as it is understood in non-European traditions); and conversely, inhibited by the absence of, or aversion to, such a concept of Nothingness in the West. But not all scholars agree. Join the debate.