Signifying Nothing: The Semiotics of Zero
by Brian Rotman
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| published
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July 1st 1993
by Stanford University Press
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| binding
| Paperback |
| isbn
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0804721297
(isbn13: 9780804721295)
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| pages
| 124 |
| date added
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05-29-07
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like to think... really hard
In Signifying Nothing, Brian Rotman looks at the unique position of "nothing" and "zero" in culture by studying the introduction of the zero in mathematics, the vanishing point in Western art, and imaginary money in economics. While an interesting look at the cultural struggles with the concept of zero and nothing--for instance, I learned that adherents to the Hebrew ex nihilo view of creation accept it while those adhering to a Greek view of creation struggle with th...more
In Signifying Nothing, Brian Rotman looks at the unique position of "nothing" and "zero" in culture by studying the introduction of the zero in mathematics, the vanishing point in Western art, and imaginary money in economics. While an interesting look at the cultural struggles with the concept of zero and nothing--for instance, I learned that adherents to the Hebrew ex nihilo view of creation accept it while those adhering to a Greek view of creation struggle with the frightening (and blasphemous) thought of the void, and I learned that paper money took its primordial form in IOUs issued by feudal lords--the book is, first and foremost, a study of how nothing, no-thing, the absence of things, has been represented in speech, writing, exchange, and art. Zero (and its art and economic counterparts), he argues, is both a sign (representing nothing) and a metasign (representing the absence of other signs). The introduction of this metasign led to other, crazier metasigns. Like variables in math. Or paintings without vanishing points that instead depict painters painting. And eventually we end up discussing xenomoney, but I'd pretty much gone cross-eyed by that point. And somewhere in there, the metasigns created metasubjects (that's the painter painting a painter). And the signs which lead to other signs couldn't possibly have all been preceded by things because the painters paint scenes that they can't see and the dollar no longer represents a certain amount of gold and it's all out of control with Derrida running behind the slippery slippery signifiers shrieking, "I told you so!"
And that's my review. Confused? Me too. But I think I did learn something about nothing....less
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4.14 (7 ratings)
number of reviews: 1
