Battle of the Shapes (and lines and points too of course)
This might have been one of the most original ideas I had come across in a long time. An entire book about geometric shapes that were characters is very different. Trying to picture life going forward only in 2 dimensions is really bizarre and as a shape no less, not even stick people. I didn’t even know a book like this existed, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. Aside from the polygonal characters the whole idea of more sides makes for a better person reminded me of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World ,where your designation whether Alpha or Epsilon determined your place in the world, pretty much all science fiction stories that have a class system remind me of that book though.
I enjoyed the subtle comedy about how women have accidentally killed men because they are lines and appear as a point to the men who are shapes, and the men just don’t see them coming. The idea of the third dimension coming and visiting the second dimension was interesting. I did some research and apparently physicists and mathematicians find the book interesting for the fact that it makes a good argument for the idea of other dimensions. The sphere finds it ridiculous that there could be more than three, while the dot finds it absurd there could be more than one.
I feel a bit silly about not having ever heard of this book before, as it seems influential now that I look into it. I don’t know enough about science to delve into the stuff that would excite physicists about this book, but the scenario where the sphere moves the square into the third dimension has to make you think. If there were other dimensions and we could move through them to get from one place to the next, we could travel awfully far in space and what not. Here this will illustrate my thoughts better. I swear Hugo Weaving used Sagan as his inspiration for Agent Smith‘s voice. Until next time!
