The Hypothetical Library

The library is vast, and possibly infinite. Only the books which you know are readable. Books which are unknown will not open. When they are available, books can be checked out, referenced, and rewritten. It is encouraged to write your own books, and to add them to the shelves.

No one knows how big the library is. There is a column in the center which stretches deep into the earth. The stairs spiral around the column, with uncountable passages stretched out in every direction. Hallways contain each format of novel, and every combination of letters. Some books are filled with beautiful illustrations, ornate and plastered with precious metals.

The books do not remain consistent. Sometimes they change covers or pages, sometimes the stories get rewritten with different characters. It is so difficult to find a specific book that patrons of the library search only for categories instead of specifics. The same book is almost never found twice.

Scholars debate whether it is possible that the library is truly infinite. They say that the letters of a book may be rearranged in any order. By rearranging symbols, and words, a book can become an infinite number of books–or all books. Some argue that with a finite number of symbols, it is inevitable that there will be repetitions and that the number of books must be finite as well. Others say that a story can be any length, and therefore there are no limitations.

In Meno, Plato asserts that to learn is to remember. Socrates explains in his speech that the soul lives forever, and that we will be reborn many times. From birth, we possess the wisdom of all people. Plato might say that the library is unlimited, but knowable. Similarly, the digits of Pi are infinite but calculable.

Carl Jung conceived the objective psyche. He proposed that we do not learn cultural norms, but instead inherit them. There is a varied but consistent string which is innate and binds human beings together. Jung might argue that there are many different books, but being composed of the same material, there is only truly one (a single book which contains all letters and variations).

When the Library of Alexandria was built, it was proposed that all human knowledge should be contained within it. But how could this be possible? If I read a scroll in that great library, would my thoughts simultaneously be transcribed onto another? No, a library so vast and thorough is not possible in our physical world.

The answer may be found in antiquity. Many chapters of Livy's Ab Urbe Condita were lost. But it is possible that a fragment may be found on which is written:

"...and when the Library of Alexandria burned, it remained within our memories."