Yevgeny Zamyatin, We — The Last Number—Galileo’s Mistake… (1924)
“ For the time being we know that there is no last number. We may forget that, someday. Of course, we shall certainly forget it when we grow old, as everything inevitably grows old. Then we shall inevitably fall like autumn leaves from the trees, like you the day after tomorrow. ”
Yevgeny Zamyatin, We — The Last Number—Galileo’s Mistake… (1924)
“ More than that, a philosopher-mathematician? Well, then, name the last number.” “What is . . . I . . . I cannot understand, which last?” “The last one, the highest, the largest.” “But I-330, that’s absurd! Since the number of numbers is infinite, how can there be a last one?” “And why then do you think there is a last revolution . . . their number is infinite. . . . The ‘last one’ is a child’s story. Children are afraid of the infinite, and it is necessary that children should not be frightened, so that they may sleep through the night.” ”
Yevgeny Zamyatin, We — The Last Number—Galileo’s Mistake… (1924)
“ Psychological entropy. Don’t you as a mathematician know that only differences—only differences—in temperature, only thermic contrasts make for life? And if all over the world there are evenly warm or evenly cold bodies, they must be pushed off! . . . in order to get flame, explosions! And we shall push! . . .” “But I-330, please realize that our ancestors during the Two Hundred Years’ War did exactly that!” “Oh, they were right! A thousand times right! But they did one thing wrong: later they began to believe that they were the last number, a number that does not exist in nature. ”
