Gustav Theodor Fechner: pioneer of the fourth dimension
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: Gustav Theodor Fechner: pioneer of the fourth dimension
zbMATH Open document ID: 1235.01009
author: Hans G. Fellner
author: William F. Lindgren
published in: The Mathematical Intelligencer
publication date: 2011-11-14T00:00:00Z
review text: Gustav Theodor Fechner (1801-1887) was an important philosopher in the nineteenth century in Germany. He was engaged in different disciplines: medicine, physics, mathematics and the philosophy of nature. The article at hand comprehends an introduction, and translations of two essays of G. Fechner (using the pen name ``Dr. Mises''): ``Der Schatten ist lebendig'' (``The shadow is Alive'') and ``Der Raum hat vier Dimensionen'' (``Space has Four Dimensions'') into English. G. Fechner was one of the first of a couple of scientists and writers of the nineteenth century, who tried to imagine the idea of higher dimensional spaces. From the same period are the well known books ``Flatland'' written by Edwin Abbott and ``Alice's Adventures'' written by Lewis Caroll -- both mathematicians too. In case of the first essay the reader at first is uncertain if the text is meant seriously or if it is just a joke. But at any rate it shows Fechner's fantasy and conviction that all nature is besouled. Similary the second essay is full of different ideas regarding a fourth dimension in space. Concurrently G. Fechner satirizes the methods of reasoning that some philosophers use to ``prove'' whatever they please.
reviewed by: Silke Göbel
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 01A55
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 00A30
zbMATH DE Number: 5971479
zbMATH Keywords: philosophy of nature
zbMATH Keywords: fourth dimension
zbMATH Keywords: Gustav Theodor Fechner
zbMATH Keywords: shadow
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: s00283-011-9214-7
OpenAlex ID: W1963745888
Wikidata QID: Q125854938
cites work: Q5188976
cites work: Hermann Graßmann
DOI: 10.1007/S00283-011-9214-7
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5971479