Full Idea
We might dispense with substantival space, and say that if the distribution of matter in space could have been different, that just means the matter of the Universe could have been shaped differently (with geometry as the science of shapes).
Gist of Idea
We could ignore space, and just talk of the shape of matter
Source
Keith Hossack (Plurals and Complexes [2000], 9)
Book Reference
-: 'British Soc for the Philosophy of Science' [-], p.432