Dimensions and Their Numerical Progression

duga · 02-13-2013, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

If you put these creatures in a drop of some solution, squeeze it between two sheets of glass and look at them through a microscope, then I agree it looks a little 2Dish. But in nature, they have evolved to relate to 3 dimensions. Sure, they move towards something or away from something, but they do so much like we do. Up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards or in screws or circles for that matter.

This is exactly why this kind of topic is nearly impossible to talk about between disciplines. Trying to mesh philosophy, physics, and biology is nearly impossible. In the end, I'm just brainstorming.

So we can all agree from how this thread has gone that it nearly impossible to conceive of any higher a dimension than what we currently exist in. Being humans, we try to relate everything in the context of those 3 dimensions, usually basing off of visual cues. Since we already know it would be impossible to visualize a higher dimension, we have to assume that if it exists at all, it is in the realm of a perception we can't fathom. However, if it does exist, surely we float in and out of any other dimension that exists without even being aware of it. However, our perception limits us to experiencing that in 3 dimensions. To 4th dimensional beings, surely they could look (maybe I should say perceive?) at us and assign a 4th dimension to our behavior. But we can't do that to ourselves.

This is how I feel about single celled organisms. Physically, they have 3 dimensions. They probably have 4 dimensions and 5 dimensions and so on. To THEM, their world exists in a much simpler capacity. Go towards this. Move from that. Even if those impulses consists of corkscrewing around a rock, it consists of "go towards this" and "move from that", with no more complicated an intention.

If we take more of a philosophical standpoint rather than a biological one, it's easier to see what I'm getting at. Being arrogant humans, we use SEEING something in our world as our only point of reference. However, point of view counts. From the bacteria's position...it's a 2 dimensional being.