This is a pedagogical exercise to construct the foundations of math (arithmetic) from nothing more than a basic notion of encapsulation (i.e. a Python class which can either hold nothing or just one object which is itself of the same class). No loops, no numbers, no foundational types except for State. If statements are used, but only to discern whether something is None.
Philosophically, the motivation here is to more clearly frame the foundations of mathematics as 'difference within the same' - the 'difference' being the capacity for a State object to contain either another State object (Something) or None (Nothing), and the 'within' being the recursive, hierarchical nature of classes in object oriented languages.
fun fact: I coded this on my phone using the new Replit app