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The 4th dimension is causing us marital distress

So, Matt is writing a final paper for his philosophy class on the possibility of a 4th dimension and whether or not a book may be written about the 4th Dimension, as Edwin Abbott did on a 2nd dimensional world in his book Flatland. Matt discussed his ideas with me to help formulate his thesis for his paper. We had a terrible disagreement.

First of all, I think a book can be written about anything, even if that thing does not exists. Matt disagrees. Further more, Matt thinks a fourth dimension is improbable, while I think it’s a proven fact. Isn’t time the 4th dimension? Haven’t our scientists people established that pretty well?

According to Matt’s teacher, time cannot be used as the fourth dimension for the purposes of his paper. He must either imagine an altogether new dimension or else argue that there isn’t one possible.

Fine. Whatever. Scrape time. It's only TIME after all.

Matt argues that since the 3 dimensions we have identified cover all measurable space (length, width, and height) that there is nothing left to measure and therefore no fourth dimension.

Poppycock! I say. POP-EE-COCK!

In the book flatland, 3D people visit 2D flatland. The main character, 2D guy, does not believe the 3D people about the existence of a third dimension as, in his reality, there is only width and length. All he can sense may be measured, therefore there must not be anything else. 2D guy will not believe in even the possibility of a third dimension until the 3D people take 2D guy to lineland, where he meets a linelander whom refuses to acknowledge 2D guy's existence as the linelander is only aware of things in one dimension.

To me, this proves that we, as spherelanders (3D people), are incapable of refuting the existence of a fourth dimension (or a 5th, 6th, or 112th) as we only have the capability to perceive reality in three dimensions or less.

Stephen Hawkins wrote very convincingly of parallel universes. Wouldn’t another dimension be needed to measure the space between universes?

I claim that there are a great many more dimensions than our meager little minds are capable of recognizing, maybe an infinite amount.

This is causing great marital distress.

That, and the fact that our next door neighbor keeps blaring that horrible John Meyer Your Body is a Wonderland song that makes us both irritated and irrational people.

posted by Scribbler @ Thursday, June 17, 2004