Flatland: The Movie

Comment part two. :) Earlier I have only read a bit about "Flatland" in a book by the famous amateur mathematician Martin Gardner, when he tries to analyse the possible physics and mechanics of a two-dimensional world. Now, that I know more about it, I think both the film and the original book can be extremely interesting to someone interested in psychedelics. Just consider this fragment...

>>I tried to prove to him that he was `high,' as well as long and broad, although he did not know it. But what was his reply? `You say I am "high"; measure my "highness" and I will believe you.' What could I do? How could I meet his challenge? I was crushed; and he left the room triumphant.

"Does this still seem strange to you? Then put yourself in a similar position. Suppose a person of the Fourth Dimension, condescending to visit you, were to say, `Whenever you open your eyes, you see a Plane (which is of Two Dimensions) and you infer a Solid (which is of Three); but in reality you also see (though you do not recognize) a Fourth Dimension, which is not colour nor brightness nor anything of the kind, but a true Dimension, although I cannot point out to you its direction, nor can you possibly measure it.' What would you say to such a visitor? Would not you have him locked up? Well, that is my fate: and it is as natural for us Flatlanders to lock up a Square for preaching the Third Dimension, as it is for you Spacelanders to lock up a Cube for preaching the Fourth.<<

"Flatland" is definitely more than just eye candy (what will I do as I don't have a DVD player?), it's almost as if Abbott had foreseen the war on consciousness. ;)

Wow. And indeed it does bring associations... ;)