Extracted text
Editor Flaming Sword:—You have stated in The Flaming Sword that, according to Koreshan Universology, the totality of all things is confined within the concave cell, and that there is absolutely nothing on the outside of the cell we inhabit—not even space. Now, admitting for the sake of argument, that this concave cell is 8,000 miles in diameter, with a shell 100 miles in thickness, how, in the name of common sense, can you assume that outside of this concave cell there is no space, when the very idea of there being absolutely nothing outside compels us to accept the inevitable conclusion that there is nothing but space on the outside, as space is the absence of everything else?—G. E. K., Chicago, Ill.
The conception of infinite space is responsible for many fallacies that have been and are now being promulgated throughout the world. The modern scientists have conceived that creation is as infinite as space, and theologians are led to the conclusion that the Almighty is a subtle mental substance which pervades the infinite openness. It has been asserted that both creation and the Creator are boundless—that God and his works extend eternally in every direction. But the idea is obviously inconsistent with the conception that God is a Creator; for if at any time he began the work of creating worlds to fill all space, he could never complete such a work because there would be no limit to its extension, and therefore no limit to the time of its creation. If from the first, the work of creation proceeded outward and outward from the point and time of beginning, the time could never come when infinite space would be filled with worlds.
To the modern mind the conclusion that space is limitless seems inevitable; but a little analysis of the subject shows that such a conclusion is unwarranted and unsupported by any facts, since illimitability is absolutely undemonstrable. The conclusion that space is limitless is the result of the inability of the modern mind to conceive of space as having any bounds; therefore, the conclusion is negative, not positive. Nevertheless, many able mathematicians have come to reject the common conception, and to hold that space is limited, even though they cannot define what it is that constitutes its limit. Their view is, that that which we conceive to be a straight line extending without limitation in any given direction, may so curve as to return to itself, and that therefore space may really be a curvature, forming a limited sphere, outside of which there would be absolutely nothing—not even space. Now this view applies to what is usually termed free space—that which is usually conceived to be space; and beyond that, without any material bound, there is nothing, not even an openness. The school of mathematicians that teaches the limitation of space is known as the non-Euclidian school of geometry, which has a large following in Germany and other European countries; and even in this country there are many who hold to its conclusions. Astronomer Newcomb maintains that space is not necessarily illimitable, and therefore, that the universe may not be infinite. We mention these conclusions to show that there is such a thing as getting entirely away from the old conception that space has no limit.
Duration and extension are two general properties of existing things; they are properties which are very much misunderstood. The common view necessitates the conclusion that these two given properties of matter may exist independently of the things which possess the properties. Time and space are related to the natural world. We cannot conceive of time apart from motion. Cycles of time are made apparent to us through astronomical motions and progressions; we have the days measured by the revolutions of the sun; and hours, minutes, and seconds are accurately measured by the regular motions of clocks and watches. Duration necessarily belongs to existence; there can be no conception of duration apart from the material universe.
What motion is to time, matter is to space. Matter possesses the property of extension; it has length, breadth, and thickness. Without matter there could be no extension of any kind, because there would be nothing to extend; hence, without matter, length, breadth, and thickness could not be, and where no such dimensions are possible there is no space. The space of any object is the room it occupies. Universal space, therefore, is the space occupied by the universe. If we conceive of a limited universe—and it is the only kind of a universe that can be conceived—we must conceive of an end to space, because the very properties of universal form forbid there being any extension beyond the limits of extension. Space, therefore, cannot extend where there is no extension.
Space involves the idea of room; and necessarily, there can be no room without enclosure; hence, beyond the universal enclosure there is no room, no space. The word space is from the Latin spatium, which properly means stage or bound, length, measure. Limitation is involved in the very root from which space is derived. We have a similar meaning in span, a kindred word. We place the actual meaning of the word space in contrast with the popular abuse of it, and with the conception expressed by our correspondent who considers that "the very idea of there being absolutely nothing outside compels us to accept the inevitable conclusion, namely, that there is nothing but space on the outside, as space is the absence of everything else." Now, if space were the absence of everything, it would follow that there could be no space where everything is. The question is, What makes space? And the answer is, the extension of matter! Instead of space being the absence of everything, the reverse is true, because matter possesses the property of extension, while nothing does not; hence space is limited to the dimensions of the cosmos.
It is a common thing for the mind to suppose the earth to be a mere speck located in space that is without limit; and when considering the cellular idea, one is wont to conceive of space as existing outside the earth. Now, instead of supposing that the universe is so small as to occupy only a small portion of existing space, let the mind broaden in its conceptions until it conceives the cellular universe as really large enough to fill all space; then there could be no space beyond. Limited space is conceivable; but illimitability is absolutely unthinkable.
- --
The source scans remain the record. This page preserves the periodical's argument and reported observations without presenting its conclusions as independently established results. The claims remain attributed to The Flaming Sword.
The Flaming Sword · Vol. 16, No. 34 · 11 Jul 1902 · PDF p. 12