Boekenkast
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Auteur | Edwin A. Abbott |
Eerste Uitgave | 1884 |
Uitgave | 1992 |
Uitgeverij | Dover Publications |
Vorm | roman |
Taal | Engels |
Bladzijden | 83 bladzijden |
Gelezen | 2003-07-22 |
Score | 9/10 |
Inhoud
This masterpiece of science (and mathematical) fiction is a delightfully unique and highly entertaining satire that has charmed readers for more than 100 years. The work of English clergyman, educator and Shakespearean scholar Edwin A. Abbott (1838-1926), it describes the journeys of A. Square, a mathematician and resident of the two-dimensional Flatland, where women - thin, straight lines - are the lowliest of shapes, and where men may have any number of sides, depending on their social status.
Through strange occurrences that bring him into contact with a host of geometric forms, Square has adventures in Spaceland (three dimensions), Lineland (one dimension) and Pointland (no dimensions) and ultimately entertains thoughts of visiting a land of four dimensions - arevolutionary idea fro which he is returned to his two-dimensional world. Charmingly illustrated by the author, Flatland is not anly fascinating reading, it is still a first-rate fictional introduction to the concept of the multiple dimensions of space.
Bespreking
Upward, not Northward
A. Square is a rather exceptional member of Flatland, a world that only has two dimensions. He not only dreams about a one-dimensional world, but also dares to question the limitation of having only two dimensions. Being a polygon himself, he will never truly understand the magic of Spaceland, but his unbound imagination lets him travel beyond what others call their 'space'. When he finally succeeds in going "Upward, not Northward" he gets convinced that he has a message to give to the other members of Flatland. But will the others accept his prophecy?
Flatland is a truly remarkable piece of literature. Not only makes is philosophy and mathematics accessible for the common reader, it also gives evidence of Abbott's visionary mind. Written in 1884 this book introduces the readers to concepts that will prove to become very 'hot' more than 100 years later. Mathematicians of today who have no theory about the number of dimensions are almost considered to be unfaithful to their science.
This is simply a must-read for everybody who likes to fantasize about dimensions and what the world would look like if we could see beyond our known dimensions.