What are the motifs in Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife?

The victory of Zero is a recurring idea. For whatever reason, Seife puts zero in competition with humanity's greatest minds. Zero is seen as an opponent to be beaten, to be chased away from obscuring the truth from human inquiry. If embraced, zero can help one understand the world better. But zero still threatens. Again, the story of scientific progress always has zero dangling in front it, taunting it and pushing it forward.