ONE IS ALL, ALL IS ONE

"One is a number that can cause more than trepidation." It's very surprising and interesting, the commotion that the number one causes. Everyone wants to be 'number one,' or 'the one,' or above one. It's surprising that people killed each other by the significance of this number, when it's considered such a small value. (Next to zero) "That oneness has led to intolerance and centuries of bitter, bloody battles."

I liked this chapter because it discussed the historical and mathematical value of the number, all that it has caused and some of the things that it has been involved with. I didn't think it would have such a meaning in alchemy. "The mysterious Philosopher's Stone...was said to be 'one in essence'..." The Philosopher's Stone wasn't the only thing that number one affected in alchemy. It also affected many other rules for alchemy, like 'one is all, all is one.' This phrase was applied into the principles of alchemy by teaching alchemists that one individual was united and part of the entire universe, yet at the same time, this universe was all part of said individual. It was a belief used to try to convert objects into something containing the same mass.

I think one indeed is a magical number that, like infinity, has a value and significance that will never be truly determined. It has become an important part of our lives, civilization, and I'm glad such a small number has brought us this far. I really hope that people recognize the value of numbers and the other things that surround our world and use it for good, instead of harming one another in order to achieve the grandness of our resources.

It is possible that, like the resources nature has offered us, the benefits of mathematics can get to an end. I think this could be caused by people exploiting the values more than using them for good, building weapons, killing animals, destroying habitats, etc. I think people should really turn the goodness of this knowledge around, and understanding the significance of small components such as one is the beginning.

Like the alchemists believed, 'all is one, one is all.' It is a true ideal that can be expressed even now. We each are one individual among so many people. However, if one by one affects the place where we all live, we will eventually be affected. We are part of this world and the world is part of us. We're basically harming ourselves, and we still don't understand. We are every living organism no matter how 'insignificant' it may seem, and by mistreating it, we are showing how much we really value ourselves and our surroundings.

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

I really enjoyed this reading. It's impressive how much we depend in mathematics, how much we have since very ancient times. Pythagoras was a truly brilliant man and I admire all of his work.

"Pythagoras was perhaps the first professional..but he wasn't very good at fractions." It's kind of amusing that brilliant as he was, Pythagoras wasn't very good in one concept of mathematics. I can relate to him, in the sense that I am pretty good at some concepts of mathematics, but on the other hand, am terrible at others. Before this chapter, I had only read about men that were geniuses at mathematics, born with some supernatural might that enabled them to work through any unimaginable mathematic problem. Though Pythagoras still was as great as could be, it kind of makes me feel better that he wasn't as excellent in one little petty problem that did not hold him back from achieving so much. It might be foolish. It makes me feel good that I might still be good and succeed in math class despite not being as good in some of its concepts. I don't mean that because I'm not a genius like these men and because Pythagoras wasn't good at one thing I'm not going to try hard myself. It makes no sense, right? So why even have this mindset in the first place? I'll try hard to get better at things I don't understand, catch up with what I need to catch up on.

I like how important little numbers like...0.000000000000000.....1 are. I mean, people wouldn't usually imagine what an important role they play in our lives. But, this reading shows that it's one of the fundamental things in not just in math, but physics, science, you name it. As I read more and more of these chapters, I understand better how math is incorporated to the real world, what place it takes, which is pretty much everywhere. Not that I don't know what math is used for, mind you. The things I read in these chapters only surprise me because they further explain the way mathematics is employed, and yes, does enlighten me with new mathematic information.