Single Idea 16922

[catalogued under 27. Natural Reality / C. Space / 2. Space]

Full Idea

That complete space …has three dimensions, and that space in general cannot have more, is built on the proposition that not more than three lines can intersect at right angles in a point.

Gist of Idea

Space must have three dimensions, because only three lines can meet at right angles

Source

Immanuel Kant (Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysic [1781], 285)

Book Reference

Kant,Immanuel: 'Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysic', ed/tr. Lucas,Peter G. [Manchester UP 1971], p.40


A Reaction

Modern geometry seems to move, via the algebra, to more than three dimensions, and then battles for an intuition of how that can be. I don't know how they would respond to Kant's challenge here.