Adapted for the Internet from:

Why God Doesn't Exist
The only structural concept
that is 1-D is an edge

    If we are to zero in on the definition of the word straight, one physical attribute that we are going to need is
    an edge. Imagine that you are unable to see the edges of an object on the other side of a peep hole (Fig. 1).
    What information do you have concerning straightness?

    “ the term `edge' of the Universe assumes that there exists something that is not
       contained in the Universe. Invoking an outside property of the Universe (an edge or
       outside to the Universe) is logically inconsistent since, by definition, the Universe
       must contain everything.” [1]

    When we talk about something being straight, we are implicitly referring to the edge of a conceptually
    continuous object, not to its body. Were this edge to be conceptually segmented – made of discrete
    components – we could not guarantee that they are aligned so perfectly as to avoid kinks, bends, or curves.
The edge of my knife is
one-dimensional! It leaves
a mark in your stomach
that only has depth! Let
me show you, Newt!
I better get out
of here before
this nut
chooses to
prove his
theory on me.
I have no idea
what you're
talking about, Bill!

    An edge is also the only part of an object that can be conceived to be one-dimensional (i.e., synonymous
    with either length, width, or height)! The primary attribute of a dimension – direction – is conceptually
    continuous. We cannot chop direction into pieces. It is its 1-D nature that precludes the edge from
    becoming a standalone object such as the line of geometry is alleged to be.

    edge: The shape or outline of an object or portion thereof regarded hypothetically
    by itself (i.e., without the body enclosed within it). The attribute an object has that
    provides closure to it and serves to distinguish its shape from its surroundings. A
    straight edge is conceptually one-dimensional if it has direction. The word edge is
    not a noun for the purposes of Physics because it is not in itself a standalone object.
    An edge is a pattern.

    Edges are not limited to closed geometric figures. They can also be used to define geometric concepts
    such as angles, parallel, and perpendicular.

Fig. 1
Can you tell whether
the white object on
the other side of this
peep hole has a straight
edge?


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        Copyright © by Nila Gaede 2008