Book · 2022 · Science
Flatland
Enriched edition. A Romance of Many Dimensions
Why people recommend it
Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott is a satirical novella that explores a two-dimensional world to comment on Victorian social hierarchy and introduce higher dimensions to readers. Charles Liu and Neil deGrasse Tyson discussed the book on StarTalk Radio in October 2019 during the episode titled StarTalk Podcast: Cosmic Queries – World Space Week. Charles Liu mentioned this beautiful book from decades ago to vividly illustrate the concept of a two-dimensional universe in response to a fan's cosmological question. Later, during the October 2019 live episode StarTalk @ NY Comic Con: It’s About Time!, Neil deGrasse Tyson also referenced Abbott's work while talking with Brian Greene. Tyson compared a theoretical flea-on-a-tightrope analogy to the classic book Flatland, noting that it used the same kind of dimensional perspective. Both scientists utilized Abbott's enduring literary creation as a conceptual tool to explain complex spatial dimensions and help listeners visualize how beings confined to lower dimensions might perceive a larger, multi-dimensional reality.
Who recommended it
- Charles Liu Discussed
- Neil deGrasse Tyson Discussed
Charles Liu — 1 mention
“Now, remember the beautiful book, "Flatland" from-- - By Edwin Abbott, yep. From decades ago.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson — 1 mention
“- It's like the book "Flatland," right? Same kind of idea? - It's a version of that, yes exactly right.”