3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2026/11/how-nothing-came-to-matter-zero-as-a-technique-of-absence.html How Nothing Came to Matter: Zero as a Technique of Absence
The essay argues that zero cannot be separated from the signs and systems used to handle absence, tracing three formulations: the Arabic numeral, Leibniz's binary system, and Hollerith punched cards. It frames abstraction as rooted in material techniques rather than pure ideality.
