The mystery of space : $b a study of the hyperspace movement in the light of the evolution of new psychic faculties and an inquiry into the genesis and essential nature of spaceBrowne, Robert T.
Religion
The mystery of space : $b a study of the hyperspace movement in the light of the evolution of new psychic faculties and an inquiry into the genesis and essential nature of space
Browne, Robert T.
Hyperspace
Similarly he argues for the four dimensionality of space in spheres:
"We may view our space as an assemblage of its spheres. To
distinguish a sphere from all other spheres, we need to know four
and but four independent facts about it, as say, three that shall
determine its center and one its size. Hence our space is four
dimensional also in spheres. In circles, its dimensionality is
six; in surfaces of second order (those that are pierced by a
straight line in two points), nine; and so on ad infinitum."
The view taken by KEYSER is a typical one. It is the mathematical
view and is characterized by a certain lack of restraint which is
found to be peculiar to the whole scheme of thought relating to
hyperspace. It is clear that the kind of space that will permit
of such radical changes in its nature as to be at one time three
dimensional, at another time four dimensional, then six, nine and
even _n_-dimensional is not the kind of space in which the objective
world is known to exist. Indeed, it is not the kind of space that
really exists at all. In the first place, a line cannot generate
perceptual space. Neither can a circle, nor a sphere nor any other
geometrical construction. It is, therefore, not permissible, except
mathematically, to view our space either as "an assemblage of its
spheres," its circles or its surfaces; for obviously perceptual space
is not a geometrical construction even though the intellect naturally
finds inhering in it a sort of latent geometrism which is kosmical.
For there is a wide difference between that kosmic order which is
space and the finely elaborated abstraction which the geometer
deceives himself into identifying with space. There is absolutely
neither perceptible nor imperceptible means by which perceptual space
in anywise can be affected by an act of will, ideation or movement.
Just why mathematicians persist in vagarizing upon the generability
of space by movement of lines, circles, planes, etc., is confessedly
not easily understood especially when the natural outcome of such
procedure is self-stultification. It is far better to recognize, as
a guiding principle in all mathematical disquisitions respecting the
nature of space that the possibilities found to inhere in an idealized
construction cannot be objectified in kosmic, sensible space. The line
of demarkation should be drawn once for all, and all metageometrical
calculations and theories should be prefaced by the remark that: "if
objective space were amenable to the peculiarities of an idealized
construction such and such a result would be possible," or words to
that effect. This mode of procedure would serve to clarify many if
not all of the hyperspace conceptions for the non-mathematician as
well as for the metageometricians themselves, especially those who are
unwilling to recognize the utter impossibility of their constructions
as applied to perceptual space. We should then cease to have the
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