Dystopian Journal #1: Topic C
In We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, the idea that math can be used to explain everything in the universe is pushed to the extreme in the sense that the fictional society starts to believe that math should be used to explain everything. Not only is everything to be explained by math, but everything has geometric descriptions: face like an X, O shaped mouth, etc. This hyperbole of a civilization is shown to be the result of mathematical growth from today's society. Everything lately has been in terms of numbers such as the economy where everything depends on formulas and figures determined by other formulas and figures and so on. Zamyatin is not telling people to abandon math, the society functions just fine using it, it is just an extremely boring one if it is relying solely on arithmetic properties. The main character, D-503, even starts out loving the preciseness of math and how he is able to use it to explain anything he wants using a formula, so clearly the reader is not supposed to despise math and all of its results, just realize the lack of excitement it brings with it. Zamyatin suggests an alternative that math is an acceptable tool for areas of life that would require it, such as engineering, science and architecture, but indirectly related areas should be left clean of it. In general, life should be full of spontaneity and unpredictable events rather than cold and calculated numbers dictating exactly how everything will function for years upon years to come. If everything is able to be calculated from information of the past, those calculations would be able to predict what would happen in the future and the point of having a future is so that one can go into it not knowing what will come next.
-Word Count: 300
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