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320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2019
“What is,” said the philosopher Parmenides, not quite a million days ago, “is uncreated and indestructible, alone, complete, immovable and without end.” It’s a bold philosophy. Parmenides permitted no divisions, no distinctions, no future, no past. “Nor was it ever, nor will it be,” he explained; “for now it is, all at once, a continuous one.” To Parmenides, the universe was like Los Angeles traffic: eternal, singular, and unchanging.This is accompanied by a cartoon showing several stick figures reacting to Parmenides with scorn.
A million days later, it remains a very stupid idea.
I want to be clear: the object in your hands won’t “teach you calculus.” It’s not an orderly textbook, but an eclectic and humbly illustrated volume of folklore, written in nontechnical language for a casual reader. That reader may be a total stranger to calculus, or an intimate friend; I’m hopeful that the stories will bring a little mirth and insight either way.If you know anything about calculus, you probably know that it is generally divided into two branches: the differential calculus and the integral calculus. The differential calculus is about change. Change Is the Only Constant is divided into two books: "MOMENTS" and "ETERNITIES", which correspond to the differential and integral calculus.