Quatrième campus

Chapitre 8

"It's under the supervision of the Global Bureau of Investigation."

The computer was placed at the Global Investigations Bureau, and Saviel remained silent.

Saviel said to Chu Xunfeng, "Then let's go to Uncle Cole's house!"

Chu Xunfeng nodded and glanced back at the bedroom. To his surprise, the ancient silver coins on the window frame were gone.

Who took the ancient silver coin so quickly? He glanced at Professor Cole—this oddball who was "quite the opposite" in everything?

Note:

① "Left Bank" (Rivedroite) originally referred to the left bank of the Seine River in Paris, France, a cultural mecca that was home to cafes, bookstores, galleries, art museums and museums, and a domain of intellectuals.

② This paper, written when Leibniz was 20 years old, established the "universal algebra" concerning "universal characteristics," which is a new idea in mathematical logic. It was this paper that made him the founder of mathematical logic.

The All-Round Genius (Part 1)

Professor Cole's baldness wasn't entirely without reason; he was a learned and eloquent man. While his "opposite" views might be off-putting, as an authority in applied mathematics, he possessed many unique insights.

Herman, unlike his usual bouncing around, sat quietly beside his father, keeping Chu Xunfeng and Saviel company, glancing at Chu Xunfeng every now and then.

...

"Professor, you know the three scientists who went missing from WAR!" Chu Xunfeng was a little surprised.

"On the contrary, I don't know them at all."

"That?……"

"I only met him once, at the Wolf Prize ceremony in Israel..."

"Then?" Chu Xunfeng was a little confused. They clearly said they had met, but then they said "quite the opposite".

"But I don't know them now. Back then, a group of people were interested in Leibniz's theories and gathered together to exchange ideas. Among them were these two. One of them even talked about mathematical logic..."

Chu Xunfeng interrupted the professor: "What about their research direction? You probably don't know, do you?" This time, he didn't ask what the professor knew, but instead asked him the question.

"On the contrary, one is engaged in biomolecular research, and the other seems to be an expert in cloning science."

"An expert in cloning, does the alien civilization on Planet X want to clone itself?" Chu Xunfeng frowned. "Professor, do you not know what Newton's New Clothes means?" Chu Xunfeng asked.

Chu Xunfeng's question almost made Hermann burst out laughing. Her bright eyes darted around, and it seemed that her "quite the opposite" father had met his match.

This time it couldn't be "quite the opposite," Professor Cole said, lowering his brow. "I really don't know. Newton had too many unforeseen events in his life."

Too many official duties?

"Newton was by nature mysterious, secretive, and deeply neurotic. Perhaps Professor Nie's words were ironic! He may have discovered something."

"Professor Nie wrote the five characters 'Newton's New Clothes' in 'Principia Mathematica'? That was his last handwriting."

"Well, exactly, well, I don't know... Perhaps the professor saw shortcomings in Newton's theory? New clothes, sometimes, mean an illusion."

"Newton's theory has shortcomings? Impossible." Hermann, with her big eyes, also became interested. The mole between her eyebrows twitched. "Such a great man should know everything, right?" She was as excited as a child. She had a strong destructive desire and loved to see people make fools of themselves. Wouldn't it be great if Newton had some kind of weakness that someone could use against him?

"On the contrary, for example, his concept of absolute space and time in physics was a mistake, and Einstein's later theory of general relativity was to heal the wounds of this theory."

"It also cemented Einstein's status as a giant of his generation." Chu Xunfeng nodded. "They were all very great people."

"On the contrary, I remember when his successor Wheaton commented on Newton, he said that what Newton feared most, was most cautious about, and was most suspicious of was that Newton stayed away from women all his life and never married." Cole sighed, "Whoever married him would probably not be happy. Becoming a master is not easy, and one always has to lose a lot. In terms of love and family, he was not great."

What kind of "exactly the opposite" reason is that? Chu Xunfeng would be at his wit's end if he encountered someone like that.

Herman chuckled, "Such a great man should have a lot of sons." Herman then glanced at Chu Xunfeng discreetly.

Chu Xunfeng stared at Professor Cole, trying to find some answers in his eyes: "Have you read the book 'On Combinatorial Techniques'?"

"On the contrary, I haven't read it," Professor Cole's eyes gleamed, "but I know it's a paper Leibniz wrote when he was 20 years old. This book established new ideas about universal algebra, that is, mathematical logic, regarding universal characteristics. It's the seed of mathematical logic, and to put it more broadly, this book is the ancestor of computer circuit algebra, the theoretical foundation for the invention of computers. In other words, humans evolved according to Darwin's theory, while computers developed according to Leibniz's mathematical logic."

"I don't quite understand," Chu Xunfeng shook his head, staring at Professor Cole hoping to dig out some clues.

"It's about mechanizing logical thinking so that people can use calculation to make judgments and inferences."

"Using calculations to replace thought?" Chu Xunfeng's mouth dropped open.

“Thoughts are abstract! How can a computer think?” Hermann’s clear eyes widened, and he stretched his neck out.

"On the contrary, computers have already developed thinking, which is one of the computational characteristics of logical thinking. Many machines are driven by calculations and will choose to make decisions on their own when dealing with various environmental indicators. This is the binary system of algebra, which believes that any mathematical equation can be simply represented as either true or false... All of this is a quantification of Leibniz's ideas in 'On Combinatorial Techniques,' and everyone is refining or realizing his theory. Leibniz had already thought of all this 300 years ago."

"So impressive at 20?" Chu Xunfeng thought to himself that he was already 23 and still hadn't accomplished anything. But he really couldn't stand this old guy who was "quite the opposite" in everything.

Professor Kohl seemed to realize that the newcomer couldn't stand his catchphrase, and spat out a long mouthful of saliva before swallowing "quite the opposite," adding, "On the Technique of Combinatorial Arts is only a small part of Leibniz's contributions."

"How so? I know he's the founder of calculus. But that was invented by Newton, so he shares that honor. Maybe, maybe..."

Professor Cole smiled and shook his head: "On the contrary, you think Leibniz is using Newton's fame to promote himself, don't you? You think he's as vulgar as we modern people. In fact, Leibniz's reputation at the time was by no means inferior to Newton's; he was a core member of the world's four top academies of sciences."

Chu Xunfeng nodded: "That's true. But now we know he founded the great mathematical logic."

At this moment, Hermann kept giving her father meaningful glances, her eyebrows raised as if pleading with him: Please, Father, don't do "the exact opposite." "God, please," she said, making the sign of the cross.

Without the opening line "On the contrary," Professor Cole stammered for a moment before finally uttering a sentence: "...If Leibniz wasn't smarter than Newton, he was at least as intelligent. He was a master of all trades, a genius rarely seen in the world, with significant achievements in mathematics, logic, literature, history, law, botany, linguistics, religion, and many other disciplines. He was a mathematician, poet, philosopher, jurist, politician, diplomat, inventor, alchemist, librarian, mining engineer, historian, academician of the Academy of Sciences..." Professor Cole counted them off on his fingers one by one.

Chu Xunfeng was dumbfounded: "In my mind, it seems that only Lomonosov of Russia has so many titles, but he can't be called a philosopher either."

“Leibniz was also one of the three continental rationalists, a great philosopher on par with Descartes and Spinoza,” Hermann said. “I knew that, but I didn’t know he was also a great mathematician.”

Professor Cole said, "...Newton was no match for him in philosophy; he proved the existence of God in five ways."

"A great philosopher on par with Descartes and Spinoza," Chu Xunfeng gasped.

“But he’s not as famous as Newton,” Chu Xunfeng asked Saviel, who was standing silently beside him.

A flicker of life appeared on Xavier's pale face, and a glimmer of light shone in her dim eyes: "Leibniz and Newton independently founded the theory of calculus. Their arguments have been a topic of discussion for centuries; people always wish Leibniz and Newton would fight. In fact, they were brilliant geniuses, like Descartes and Fermat who almost simultaneously invented analytic geometry. Leibniz studied mathematics from a philosophical perspective, seeking a universal truth from which to acquire knowledge, and many of his mathematical discoveries were driven by this purpose. Newton established calculus primarily from the perspective of physics and kinematics, while Leibniz considered it from a philosophical and geometric perspective. The integral sign ∫ (the elongated letter S) and the differential sign d were first used by Leibniz."

Watching Saviel speak eloquently, Chu Xunfeng felt ashamed of his lack of mathematical knowledge. He needed to study mathematics more carefully. Even the usually lively Hermann remained silent on the side.

“Leibniz was the first to systematically establish the binary notation method,” Xavier said.

“Binary,” Chu Xunfeng sensed something was wrong. “Isn’t binary only invented in the 1950s? It only came into existence when computers were invented, it’s just 0 and 1. How did it get linked to Leibniz? Wrong, wrong.”

“That’s right,” Xavier glanced at Chu Xunfeng, “Leibniz was the first person to recognize the importance of binary notation. He systematically proposed the rules of binary arithmetic 300 years ago. He is universally recognized as the creator of binary.”

"He created binary code 300 years ago, but computers only came into existence in modern times..."

“The creation of binary is related to the Chinese Book of Changes…” Xavier ignored Chu Xunfeng’s scratching.

Chu Xunfeng couldn't believe his ears. This joke was too much: "It's even related to the Book of Changes."

"After writing *On the Technique of Combinatorial Analysis*, Leibniz had already realized deep down that logical operations would replace algebraic operations. He simply hadn't found strong theoretical support for it. By chance, Leibniz received a treatise on the *I Ching* from his Chinese missionary friend, Joachim Bouvet. From this Eastern esoteric classic, often compared to the *Yin Fu Jing*, Leibniz found the theoretical source of binary code, confirming the timeless inspiration he had been anticipating," Savill said earnestly. "Chronologically, he lived during the same era as the second emperor of the Qing Dynasty in China."

"That's just a legend. How could Leibniz possibly be related to the *I Ching*? The second emperor of the Qing Dynasty was Kangxi." Connecting that emperor with his long braid to binary code is like tying a star in the sky to an earthworm on the ground. Chu Xunfeng simply couldn't believe it. The Chinese have always liked to attribute all the world's inventions to themselves. For example, they say the abacus is the ancestor of the computer, while football, which is arguably the most developed sport in Europe, originated from Cuju in the Han Dynasty. This leaves even some Chinese people bewildered.

"That's right, it's Emperor Kangxi, who is known as the most learned emperor. According to the Leipzig Humanities Institute's 'World History,' he was a statesman and military strategist with great talent and vision, as well as a lover and promoter of mathematics. He was well-read and knowledgeable, not only familiar with Confucian classics but also knowledgeable in music, nature, astronomy, and geography. Today, when Chinese primary and secondary school students learn mathematics and solve equations, they often encounter terms such as 'element,' 'degree,' and 'root.' The creator of these terms was Emperor Kangxi."

Chu Xunfeng got really into it: "Emperor Kangxi loved mathematics, that's definitely recorded in historical books. But what about Leibniz...?"

"Leibniz never went to China, nor did he meet Emperor Kangxi, though he did write letters to the emperor. The book Leibniz received was a gift from his friend Joachim Bouvet. Bouvet was a missionary who lived in China for nearly 40 years and accompanied that great Eastern emperor on his campaigns. From the late 17th to the early 18th century, Leibniz and Bouvet corresponded extensively, discussing the scientific meaning of the Eight Trigrams in the *I Ching*. It was only after Bouvet sent Leibniz the *Zhouyi Cantongqi* that Leibniz published his research paper on binary mathematics," Savill said.

Professor Cole choked up for a while before adding, "Professor Winnow, who is also a cybernetics professor, said when talking about Leibniz that we see his concept of algebraic language, or mathematical language, being influenced by China. The arrangement system of the I Ching foreshadows binary, and the eight trigrams of the I Ching have a profound significance for the formation of Leibniz's binary system."

"Incredible, incredible!" Chu Xunfeng exclaimed repeatedly. "The most profound classics of China led Leibniz to create the binary system."

A rare smile played on Xavier's lips, a hint of pride in her voice. After all, she was of mixed Chinese and German descent: "In fact, Leibniz also said: 'The Book of Changes is also a book of change.' Many centuries after Fuxi, and five centuries after King Wen and the Duke of Zhou, Confucius sought the secrets of philosophy in these sixty-four images... This is precisely binary arithmetic. It is also said: Yin lines are 0; Yang lines are 1. This arithmetic provides the simplest way to calculate ever-changing numbers."

“Binary is really related to China,” Chu Xunfeng said. If he hadn’t seen that Saviel was in a bad mood, he would have been playing the drum and reciting poetry. “It’s really not bad to be Chinese. The legacy left by our ancestors is truly abundant.”

“Leibniz rejected Newton’s absolute view of space and time back then. He was Newton’s biggest rival at the time,” Xavier said. “They also seem to have had some unknown feuds.”

"Did they refute Newton's theories?" Chu Xunfeng muttered to himself. He suddenly thought of Newton's New Clothes and felt a connection between the two. There was also Leibniz's *On the Technique of Combinations*, and the missing professor was a follower of Leibniz. What was going on?

"How do you know so much about Leibniz?" Chu Xunfeng asked Saviel.

“Quite the opposite,” Hermann interrupted before her father could speak, her melodious voice as clear as a nightingale’s. Professor Cole continued, “Professor Nie is an expert in mathematical logic, and Leibniz is an insurmountable figure. Moreover, Leibniz is an alumnus of Leipzig University, a source of great pride for the school.”

Someone had previously mentioned "quite the opposite," which could also guide him. Chu Xunfeng nearly spat out the tea he was drinking, covering Helman in it.

Hermann winked at Chu Xunfeng discreetly, signaling him to pretend he didn't know, and then playfully hummed twice.

“Leibniz and Newton can stand side by side, but Uncle Cole and my father wouldn’t have the exact opposite view on this issue, would they?” Xavier smiled slightly.

"Quite the opposite. Although he often disagreed with me on many issues, we agreed on this point: Leibniz was a great man on par with Newton!"

"Compared to Newton? That's a bit of an exaggeration." Chu Xunfeng was starting to doubt it.

"On the contrary, comparing him to Newton is not an exaggeration, but a fact, because even Newton had to admit that Leibniz was a genius... It's just that his theories were too advanced, or rather, too profound, and ordinary people simply couldn't keep up with his prophetic thinking. This is also why the general public finds it difficult to approach him. The 'possible world' he envisioned is completely different from our world."

"Possible worlds?"

"Rigorous and precise, the world of computing."

"Possible worlds?" Chu Xunfeng was a little confused again.

"This problem is too complex to explain in a short time. The general idea is to transform logical reasoning into calculation, and calculation is existence."

"Replacing thought with calculation? Calculation itself is existence?" Chu Xunfeng seemed to have heard this passage before. "Then could it be that Leibniz also proposed the concept of the world?"

"It was discovered by modern scholars based on Leibniz's theory and is mainly used in modern computer logic operations. Everything is based on Leibniz's theory. Professor Ebel of the University of Paris has gone the furthest in this regard."

"Was he also an admirer of Leibniz?"

"It can be said that he and Professor Nie are both authorities in the field of Lei's scholarship."

When discussing Leibniz's "possible worlds," Professor Kohl spoke fluently and, surprisingly, without using the phrase "quite the opposite."

"Then you must be an authority, sir?" Chu Xunfeng smiled slyly, trying to find something on Professor Cole's face.

"On the contrary, I'm just a stubborn old man," Hermann quickly answered for his father.

However, Professor Kohl said, word by word, "I think I am one of them." This is standard German self-deprecation.

Hermann bit his lip and smiled: "Dad, are you being modest or proud?"

Note:

①On January 1, 1976, Ricardo Wolf and his family donated ten million US dollars to establish the Wolf Foundation, whose main purpose is to promote the development of science and art worldwide. The Wolf Foundation has five prizes: mathematics, physics, chemistry, medicine, and agriculture (an arts prize was added in 1981). The prizes are usually awarded annually in Israel, and each prize carries a cash prize of $100,000, which can be shared by several people. The Wolf Prize in Mathematics, along with the Fields Medal, is considered one of the most prestigious and influential mathematics prizes internationally.

②A highly learned Russian scientist (1711–1765), he was the founder of Russian materialist philosophy and natural science, and he explored all areas of human knowledge. He was a writer, poet, linguist, historian, geographer, geologist, metallurgist, physicist, chemist, and artist.

③ Fermat (1601–1665), French mathematician. Born in Toulouse and died in Steller. Known as the "King of Amateur Mathematicians," he is credited with proposing the famous "Fermat's Last Theorem."

④ Joachim Bouvet: Jesuit missionary. Also known as Joachim Bouvet, courtesy name Mingyuan. A Frenchman. Born in Mangshi, he joined the Jesuit order in 1678 and was one of the first Jesuits selected by King Louis XIV of France to come to China. Bouvet was a figure who made outstanding contributions to modern Sino-Western cultural exchange. His most outstanding achievement was his systematic study of the Chinese classic *I Ching*.

⑤ The *Yin Fu Jing*, also known as the *Huangdi Yin Fu Jing* or *Xuanyuan Huangdi Yin Fu Jing*, or *Huangdi Tianji Jing*, is a Taoist text attributed to the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan. According to this tradition, the *Yin Fu Jing* is the first Taoist scripture.

Part 7

Possible World (Part 1)