Infinity

The English Infinity comes from the latin in- (not, opposite of, without), and finitus or finis (defining, definite or end). The task of assigning an original author to such a notion is impossible, as the ideas of endlessness, boundlessness, and limitlessness appear in radically different, and strikingly similar, synchronic permutations throughout global history. Still, infinity is a surging topic of discussion in contemporary Western discourse, and countless mathematicians, historians, artists, writers--and yes, even game designers--engage the infinite every year. While many of these texts have a Western bias, they also productively craft a limited kind of genealogy of the infinite and resourcefully track its movement throughout spaces and times. Such texts will be cited in this article and throughout this site.

As implied by its latin roots, the idea of negation is a defining characteristic of the infinite in many of its global historical applications.