Science and the Infinite; or, Through a Window in the Blank WallKlein, Sydney T. (Sydney Turner)
Religion
Science and the Infinite; or, Through a Window in the Blank Wall
Klein, Sydney T. (Sydney Turner)
Religion and science
become Omniscient, the whole of Creation would be before us as an
Instantaneous Thought of God.
Accordingly under the dominion of Time we appear to be in a similar
position to that of a being whose senses are limited to
one-dimensional space--namely, to a line; we can only have cognisance
of what is in front and behind, we have no knowledge of what is to the
right or left, we appear to be limited to looking lengthwise in Time,
whereas an Omniscient and Omnipresent Being looks at Time crosswise
and sees it as a whole. A small light, when at rest, appears as a
point of light, but when we apply quick motion, the product of Time
and Space, to it, we get the appearance of a line of light, and this
continuous line, formed by motion of a point, is, I think, analogous
to the Physical Universe appearing to our finite senses as continuous
in Time duration and Space extension, though really comprised in the
Now and the Here, the whole of Creation being therefore an
Instantaneous Thought.
A consideration of our limitation in Space may also be useful to show
how impossible it is for us to hope to see by our senses the Reality
or by our thoughts to know the Spiritual. Our senses and thoughts are
limited to a Space of three dimensions, and we can therefore only see
or know that part of the Absolute which is or can be represented to
us in three dimensions; a being whose senses were limited to a
Universe of one dimension--namely, a _line_, could have no real
knowledge of another being who was in a Universe of two
dimensions--namely, a _flat surface_, except so far as the
two-dimensional being could be represented within his line of
sensation; so also the two-dimensional being, on a _plane_, could have
no true knowledge of a being like ourselves in a Universe of three
dimensions. To his thoughts, limited within two dimensions, a being
like ourselves would be unthinkable, except so far as our nature could
be made manifest on his plane; so can it be seen that we, limited by
our finite senses to Time and Space, and our consciousness dependent
upon that limited basis of thought, can only know that aspect of the
Reality which can be manifested within that range of thought--namely,
as Motion, or what we call physical phenomena.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account