The Emergence Of The Fourth Dimension

The idea of the fourth dimension of space has been of sustained interest to nineteenth-century and Modernist studies since the publication of Linda Dalrymple Henderson’s The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art (1983). An idea from mathematics that was appropriated by occultist thought, it emerged in the fin de siècle as a staple of genre fiction and grew to become an informing idea for a number of important Modernist writers and artists. Describing the post-Euclidean intellectual landscape of the late nineteenth century, The Emergence of the Fourth Dimension works with the concepts derived from the mathematical possibilities of n-dimensional geometry—co-presence, bi-location, and interpenetration; the experiences of two consciousnesses sharing the same space, one consciousness being in two spaces, and objects and consciousness pervading each other—to examine how a crucially transformative idea in the cultural history of space was thought and to consider the forms in which such thought was anchored. It identifies a corpus of higher-dimensional fictions by Conrad and Ford, H.G. Wells, Henry James, H.P. Lovecraft, and others and reads these closely to understand how fin de siècle and early twentieth-century literature shaped and were in turn shaped by the reconfiguration of imaginative space occasioned by the n-dimensional turn. In so doing it traces the intellectual history of higher-dimensional thought into diverse terrains, describing spiritualist experiments and how an extended abstract space functioned as an analogue for global space in occult groupings such as the Theosophical Society.

One of the most talented contemporary authors of cutting-edge math and science books conducts a fascinating tour of a higher reality, the fourth dimension. Includes problems, puzzles, and 200 drawings. "Informative and mind-dazzling." — Martin Gardner.

In a world with no power, chaos soon descends. A powerful look at the disintegration of society in the wake of a massive and mysterious outage that has knocked out all modern amenities. Fifteen-year-old Emma has moved house with her ex-Marine mother and younger brother. It's a brand-new condo building, which explains the semi-regular power outages, as workers complete the units around them. So Emma isn't particularly concerned when the latest blackout hits just as they are preparing to leave town on a long weekend camping trip. But then the car won't start, and their cellphones appear dead -- and all the cars outside their building seem to be stalled in a long traffic jam ... In the midst of what appears to be a massive power outage, with their camping gear packed and ready, Emma and her family canoe over to the islands, just offshore, to wait it out. But while they land on an isolated island, with a relatively hidden site, they are far from safe, as people become increasingly desperate to find food and shelter. And as the days pass, and the power remains out, the threat of violence becomes all too real.

The Emergence of the Fourth Dimension describes the development and proliferation of the idea of higher dimensional space in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. An idea from mathematics that was appropriated by occultist thought, it emerged in the fin de siècle as a staple of genre fiction and influenced a number of important Modernist writers and artists. Providing a context for thinking of space in dimensional terms, the volume describes an active interplay between self-fashioning disciplines and a key moment in the popularisation of science. It offers new research into spiritualism and the Theosophical Society and studies a series of curious hybrid texts. Examining works by Joseph Conrad, Ford Madox Ford, H.G. Wells, Henry James, H. P. Lovecraft, and others, the volume explores how new theories of the possibilities of time and space influenced fiction writers of the period, and how literature shaped, and was in turn shaped by, the reconfiguration of imaginative space occasioned by the n-dimensional turn. A timely study of the interplay between philosophy, literature, culture, and mathematics, it offers a rich resource for readers interested in nineteenth century literature, Modernist studies, science fiction, and gothic scholarship.

A pioneering proposal for a pluralistic extension of evolutionary theory, now updated to reflect the most recent research. This new edition of the widely read Evolution in Four Dimensions has been revised to reflect the spate of new discoveries in biology since the book was first published in 2005, offering corrections, an updated bibliography, and a substantial new chapter. Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb's pioneering argument proposes that there is more to heredity than genes. They describe four “dimensions” in heredity—four inheritance systems that play a role in evolution: genetic, epigenetic (or non-DNA cellular transmission of traits), behavioral, and symbolic (transmission through language and other forms of symbolic communication). These systems, they argue, can all provide variations on which natural selection can act. Jablonka and Lamb present a richer, more complex view of evolution than that offered by the gene-based Modern Synthesis, arguing that induced and acquired changes also play a role. Their lucid and accessible text is accompanied by artist-physician Anna Zeligowski's lively drawings, which humorously and effectively illustrate the authors' points. Each chapter ends with a dialogue in which the authors refine their arguments against the vigorous skepticism of the fictional “I.M.” (for Ipcha Mistabra—Aramaic for “the opposite conjecture”). The extensive new chapter, presented engagingly as a dialogue with I.M., updates the information on each of the four dimensions—with special attention to the epigenetic, where there has been an explosion of new research. Praise for the first edition “With courage and verve, and in a style accessible to general readers, Jablonka and Lamb lay out some of the exciting new pathways of Darwinian evolution that have been uncovered by contemporary research.” —Evelyn Fox Keller, MIT, author of Making Sense of Life: Explaining Biological Development with Models, Metaphors, and Machines “In their beautifully written and impressively argued new book, Jablonka and Lamb show that the evidence from more than fifty years of molecular, behavioral and linguistic studies forces us to reevaluate our inherited understanding of evolution.” —Oren Harman, The New Republic “It is not only an enjoyable read, replete with ideas and facts of interest but it does the most valuable thing a book can do—it makes you think and reexamine your premises and long-held conclusions.” —Adam Wilkins, BioEssays

Twenty-two essays examine the fourth dimension: how it may be studied, its relationship to non-Euclidean geometry, analogues to three-dimensional space, its absurdities and curiosities, and its simpler properties. 1910 edition.

From the infinity of space to the eternity of time to the possibility of the afterlife, both science and religion have attempted to answer a number of existential quandaries about our place in the universe. Yet these perplexing puzzles cannot be solved by anything provided in our limited three dimensional perspective. This provocative book by atomic physicist Dr. Nasr Saad proposes that a fourth dimension of existence can provide the perspective and comprehension necessary to arrive at logical answers to the unanswered questions of our existence. The Fourth Dimension of Existence draws on Saad's unique education. He is schooled in both philosophy and theology alongside his rigorous training in atomic physics. “I was sure that rational answers could only come from a perfect synthesis of the methodologies of the three major disciplines of the human mind: science, philosophy, and religion,” says Saad. “Most of the times they are in open conflict with one another in their findings and their conclusions; however, this situation should not be the norm all the time; these disciplines are the product of the human reason and the human reason is one.” Saad feels that a thorough fusion of the methodologies of science, philosophy, and religion could yield logical answers to the questions humans have been asking themselves since the dawn of human consciousness. The author admits that the fourth dimension has a robust history of representation in science fiction. He mentions flatland and hyperspace among other fictional fourth dimensions to illustrate the rich and imaginative preoccupations of the human mind. He even explains the curved space-time fourth dimension that haunts the minds of “science fiction mathematicians.” The fourth dimension that preoccupies the author is not the fantastical sci-fi scenario of the popular imagination. Rather, it is an existential dimension that would provide us with the necessary distance to understand our own world and its heretofore unsolvable mysteries. He feels the search for such a dimension is not a pipe dream but can be carried out and executed by rational means. At the same time, we need to realize the fourth dimension would exist on principles completely unrelated to our own three-dimensional world. “It will provide a scientific explanation for the strong link that should exist between matter and spirit and between this life and our existence,” says Saad. “It will make us realize in a logical and powerful way how and why our life is short but our existence is not.” Despite these intriguing scenarios, Saad feels there remains a fourth existential dimension that can bring a rational explanation to all our perplexing questions. His book is a guide to this possible reality and the various ways it could be ascertained.

A detailed description of what the fourth dimension would be like.