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badgoodDeb · 08-25-2010, 09:49 PM

Have you ever read the long out of copyrite work "Flatland"? Skipping the bits about war, the societies in it ..... and how the 1-dimensioner's view 2-dimensioners, etc .... gives a very good feeling why someone *IN* an N-dimensional universe (i.e. our 4 dimensions including time) cannot even conceive of a larger dimension. They don't have words to describe it, and can't wrap their heads around the idea of more dimensions than they know.

I find it useful for thinking of time as one of those "we can't even imagine it" dimensions -- i.e. a 5-dimensional being *can* move backwards in time, whereas we cannot. Actually, we can imagine it .... so that's a little different than the dimensions discussed, wherein one's brain can't even grasp a higher dimension than it is built in. But the book stretches the mind as regards to the more usual of our 3 dimensions.

Very interesting read!

08-25-2010, 09:49 PM	#73
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,501 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	Have you ever read the long out of copyrite work "Flatland"? Skipping the bits about war, the societies in it ..... and how the 1-dimensioner's view 2-dimensioners, etc .... gives a very good feeling why someone IN an N-dimensional universe (i.e. our 4 dimensions including time) cannot even conceive of a larger dimension. They don't have words to describe it, and can't wrap their heads around the idea of more dimensions than they know. I find it useful for thinking of time as one of those "we can't even imagine it" dimensions -- i.e. a 5-dimensional being can move backwards in time, whereas we cannot. Actually, we can imagine it .... so that's a little different than the dimensions discussed, wherein one's brain can't even grasp a higher dimension than it is built in. But the book stretches the mind as regards to the more usual of our 3 dimensions. Very interesting read!