Modern Physics has confirmed most dramatically one of the basic ideas of Eastern mysticism ; that all the concepts we use to describe nature are limited , that they are not features of reality , as we tend to believe , but creations of the mind , Parts of the map , not of the territory . Whenever we expand the realm of our experience , the limitations of our rational mind become apparent and we have to modify , or abandon, some of our concepts.
Our notions of space and time figure prominently om our map of reality . they serve to order things and events in our environment and are therefore of paramount importance not only in our daily life but also in our attempts to understand nature through science and philosophy . There is no law of physics which does not require the concepts brought about by relativity theory was therefore one of the greatest revolutions in the history of science.
Classical Physics wa based on the notion both of an absolute , three dimensional space ,independent of the material objects it contain, and obeying the laws of Euclidean Geometry , and of time as a separate dimension which again is absolute and flows at even rate ,independent of the material world. In the West , these notions of space and time were so deeply rooted in the minds of philosophers and scientists that they were taken as true and unquestioned properties of nature.
The belief that geometry is inherent in nature, rather than a part of the framework we use to describe nature , has its origin in Greek thought . Demonstrative geometry was the central feature of Greek mathematicians and had a profound influence on Greek Philosophy. Its method of starting from unquestioned axioms ,and deriving theorems from these by deductive reasoning , became characteristics of Greek philosophical thought; geometry was therefore at the very centre of all intellectual activities and formed the basis of philosophical training. The gate of Plato’s Academy in Athens is said to have borne the inscription , “You are not allowed to enter here unless you know geometry” . The Greeks believed that their mathematical theorems were expressions of eternal and exact truths about the real world , and that geometrical shapes were manifestations of absolute beauty . Geometry was considered to be perfect combination of logic and beauty and was thus believed to be divine origin. Hence Plato’s dictum , “ God is a geometer”.
Our notions of space and time figure prominently om our map of reality . they serve to order things and events in our environment and are therefore of paramount importance not only in our daily life but also in our attempts to understand nature through science and philosophy . There is no law of physics which does not require the concepts brought about by relativity theory was therefore one of the greatest revolutions in the history of science.
Classical Physics wa based on the notion both of an absolute , three dimensional space ,independent of the material objects it contain, and obeying the laws of Euclidean Geometry , and of time as a separate dimension which again is absolute and flows at even rate ,independent of the material world. In the West , these notions of space and time were so deeply rooted in the minds of philosophers and scientists that they were taken as true and unquestioned properties of nature.
The belief that geometry is inherent in nature, rather than a part of the framework we use to describe nature , has its origin in Greek thought . Demonstrative geometry was the central feature of Greek mathematicians and had a profound influence on Greek Philosophy. Its method of starting from unquestioned axioms ,and deriving theorems from these by deductive reasoning , became characteristics of Greek philosophical thought; geometry was therefore at the very centre of all intellectual activities and formed the basis of philosophical training. The gate of Plato’s Academy in Athens is said to have borne the inscription , “You are not allowed to enter here unless you know geometry” . The Greeks believed that their mathematical theorems were expressions of eternal and exact truths about the real world , and that geometrical shapes were manifestations of absolute beauty . Geometry was considered to be perfect combination of logic and beauty and was thus believed to be divine origin. Hence Plato’s dictum , “ God is a geometer”.
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