Ragged Books

We ought to be content to write ragged books, W. says. Ragged books for a ragged world. Oh, he forgot, W. says. I already do. 

W.'s learning ancient Greek for his new book, he says. It's going to be on religion. He was going to do a book on time, but he's decided against that. Religion, he says, that's his topic, and for that he needs Greek. And maths! If he's going to write about Cohen and God, as he intends to, he'll have to understand the infinitesimal calculus.

He sends me his notes.

In Leibniz what is key is the concept of the differential as the infinitely small. The ground of the finite is the infinitely small. It is the infinite that founds the finite, and not the finite the infinite – this is why the infinite is not a negative concept.

Impressive! I write back. He's reading The Logic of Pure Knowledge, he says. In German!, he says. Logik der Reinen Erkenntnis. It's taken him a year so far, and he's only on page 50.

The essential point for Leibniz is that dx is the origin of x. As with fluxion, the infinitesimal is the fundamental meaning of the judgement of origin.

What does fluxion mean?, I ask W. What does any of it mean? He's not sure, he says. He bought a book called Numbers, but only got through the first chapter, 'What is a Number?'

Anyway, here's the good stuff, he says, and sends me some more of his notes.

Third judgement: the Judgement of Contradiction. 1) The Not and the Nothing. Judgement has its origin if the judgement of origin, but this requires the mediation of the nothing. This would seem to require the judgement of negation, Vereinung. That is to say, contradiction. But the nothing is not to be confused with the 'not' of negation which is only a verbal form.

They look like notes of a real scholar, I tell W. They amaze me. He knows they amaze me, W. says. I have certain instincts. It's like a chimpanzee jumping up and down and screeching. He does an impression on the phone.

Die Identitat ist das Gut, ist der Wert, W. says. Der Widerspruch ist der Schutz, ist der Recht. Du bist ein Schiessehund. What do I think of his German accent?

Greek! Mathematics! W.'s not like me, who will just dash off a book regardless. Actually, he was genuinely moved by my new book. He almost wept when he read chapter three. Why don't I write another book, and make it a trilogy? God, that would be hilarious, W. says, a trilogy from me.