Now, let the whole Black square traced out by the Orange line move
upwards at right angles. It will trace out a new figure, a Cube. And the
edges of the square, while moving upwards, will trace out squares.
Bounding the cube, and opposite to the Black square, will be another
square. Let the Orange line moving upwards trace a Dark Blue square and
end in a Reddish line. The Gold point traces a Brown line; the Fawn
point traces a French-grey line, and these lines end in a Light-blue and
a Dull-purple point. Let the Blue line trace a Vermilion square and end
in a Deep-yellow line. Let the Buff point trace a Green line, and end in
a Red point. The Green-grey line traces a Light-yellow square and ends
in a Leaden line; the Terracotta point traces a Dark-slate line and ends
in a Deep-blue point. The Crimson line traces a Blue-green square and
ends in a Bright-blue line.
Finally, the Black square traces a Cube, the colour of which is
invisible, and ends in a white square. We suppose the colour of the cube
to be a Light-buff. The upward direction we call Z. Thus we say: The
Gold point moved Z, traces a Brown line, and ends in a Light-blue point.
We can now clearly realize and refer to each region of the cube by a
colour.
At the Gold point, lines from three directions meet, the X line Orange,
the Y line Blue, the Z line Brown.
Thus we began with a figure of one dimension, a line, we passed on to a
figure of two dimensions, a square, and ended with a figure of three
dimensions, a cube.
* * * * *
The square represents a figure in two dimensions; but if we want to
realize what it is to a being in two dimensions, we must not look down
on it. Such a view could not be taken by a plane-being.
Let us suppose a being moving on the surface of the table and unable to
rise from it. Let it not know that it is upon anything, but let it
believe that the two directions and compounds of those two directions
are all possible directions. Moreover, let it not ask the question: “On
what am I supported?” Let it see no reason for any such question, but
simply call the smooth surface, along which it moves, Space.
Such a being could not tell the colour of the square traced by the
Orange line. The square would be bounded by the lines which surround it,
and only by breaking through one of those lines could the plane-being
discover the colour of the square.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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