A Theory of the Mechanism of Survival: The Fourth Dimension and Its ApplicationsSmith, W. Whately (Walter Whately)
Philosophy
A Theory of the Mechanism of Survival: The Fourth Dimension and Its Applications
Smith, W. Whately (Walter Whately)
Fourth dimension; Parapsychology
I may mention here that I have witnessed these phenomena myself under
good observing conditions and that I am prepared to certify in the most
unequivocal manner that they are absolutely authentic; that is to say
the result neither of fraud--conscious or unconscious--nor of illusion.
Indeed, I do not suppose that an intelligent person could suppose
them to be due to anything of the sort after a careful study of Dr.
Crawford's book, quite apart from any personal observation and I only
add my own testimony as a small make-weight for what it may be worth.
We are here confronted with a sort of mechanical paradox. How can we
conceive that the structure manages to combine the contrary attributes
of rigidity and impalpability? Rigidity means simply the power of
resisting deformation under stress. That is to say that in order for a
body to be rigid it must be capable of developing within itself forces
which shall counteract those which tend to deform it. If we apply a
stress--a deforming force--to a rigid body, then this force must be met
by some opposing force; otherwise the body will be deformed. Normally
this is a matter of molecular cohesion, etc.
Now, this structure resists deformation under stress, and it therefore
follows that the deforming forces must be counteracted by opposing
forces.
But the structure is impalpable, and we can pass a rod through it in
any direction without encountering any resistance.
This being so it is difficult to conceive how the forces resisting
deformation can be applied from any direction in which we can move the
rod, _i.e._, from any direction known and accessible to us.
The more one tries to think out what is involved in the idea of an
impalpable and yet rigid structure, the more hopeless it seems.
But I think that the concept of four-dimensional space will help us
even here.
We know two things. First that the structure is rigid and therefore
that the deforming stresses are counteracted by opposing forces and,
second, that these opposing forces are apparently not applied from
any direction with which we are acquainted. But is it not possible
that they may be applied from some direction with which we are _not_
acquainted?
From some direction, in fact, of which the hypothetical fourth
rectangular axis of space is a component.
Is it possible that the matter which is drawn from the body of the
medium, and which forms the structure, is composed of molecules whose
atoms are arranged not in space of three dimensions but in space of
four dimensions?
I do not say that this is necessarily so; but I must confess that to
me it looks rather like it. Still less am I prepared to say that the
atoms are arranged four dimensionally. We do not know enough for that
yet. But it is, I think, a possibility, although for all I know to the
contrary there may be many other ways in which forces operating in four
space might act on three-dimensional atoms and molecules.
Consider a two-dimensional analogy again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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