Infinite Limits

Intro to Exactitude

          Exactitude can be defined in several different ways. It can be a well-defined and calculated plan for a certain work in question. Exactitude can also be an evocation of clear, incisive, memorable visual images and a language as precise as possible both in choice of words and in expression of the subtleness of thoughts and imagination. What makes exactitude so interesting is that it does not always represent ideas of limits or measure but can be seen as a form that evokes the idea of the endless.

            Calvino uses two very interesting emblems to represent exactitude, which I found very informative and fitting. The crystal is the first which models the process of formation of living beings that are best visualized by it. The other is the flame, which is used to make visible the alternatives offered to biology. Both together are two forms of perfect beauty according to Calvino and represent two modes of growth in time, two moral symbols, and two categories for classifying facts and ideas. The flame and crystal can be related to the idea of exactitude because they represent the tangible aspect of things that are as precise as possible.