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Did you know that Edwin Abbott Abbott was born today in 1838? He was a teacher, philosopher, and writer. Abbott used the pseudonym “A. Square” to write his best-known work Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Some have categorized the book as a work of science fiction, others have called it ‘mathematical fiction’. Flatland imagines the differences and interactions between worlds with different dimensions. The book starts with a two-dimensional world, with a character that is a square. While people in these worlds can easily observe lower-dimensional worlds, (spheres – circle – line – dot) they have a hard time envisioning a world of higher dimensions.
We hope that you keep your brain flexible by thinking through new and sometimes unfamiliar ideas! Remember to think kind thoughts, use kind words, and do kind things. We Love You.
Bonus Facts:
Edwin Abbott Abbott graduated with honors from St. John’s College, Cambridge. Eventually he became headmaster of the City of London school.
Edwin Abbott Abbott also wrote books about theology, biographies, history, language, philosophy, and more.
When it was published, Flatland was not a great success. However, the book was rediscovered after Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which brought to light the concepts of upper dimensions. Since then, Flatland has inspired sequels, short films, animations, television episodes, and more.
Some see Flatland as a social satire about class division.