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I . Introduction The Time Traveller ( for so it will be convenient to speak of him ) was expounding a recondite matter to us . His pale grey eyes shone and twinkled , and his usually pale face was flushed and animated . The fire burnt brightly , and the soft radiance of the incandescent lights in the lilies of silver caught the bubbles that flashed and passed in our glasses . Our chairs , being his patents , embraced and caressed us rather than submitted to be sat upon , and there was that luxurious after - dinner atmosphere , when thought runs gracefully free of the trammels of precision . And he put it to us in this way — marking the points with a lean forefinger — as we sat and lazily admired his earnestness over this new paradox ( as we thought it ) and his fecundity . “ You must follow me carefully . I shall have to controvert one or two ideas that are almost universally accepted . The geometry , for instance , they taught you at school is founded on a misconception . ” “ Is not that rather a large thing to expect us to begin upon ? ” said Filby , an argumentative person with red hair . “ I do not mean to ask you to accept anything without reasonable ground for it . You will soon admit as much as I need from you . You know of course that a mathematical line , a line of thickness nil , has no real existence . They taught you that ? Neither has a mathematical plane . These things are mere abstractions . ” “ That is all right , ” said the Psychologist . “ Nor , having only length , breadth , and thickness , can a cube have a real existence . ” “ There I object , ” said Filby . “ Of course a solid body may exist . All real things — ” “ So most people think . But wait a moment . Can an instantaneous cube exist ? ” “ Don’t follow you , ” said Filby . “ Can a cube that does not last for any time at all , have a real existence ? ” Filby became pensive . “ Clearly , ” the Time Traveller proceeded , “ any real body must have extension in four directions : it must have Length , Breadth , Thickness , and — Duration . But through a natural infirmity of the flesh , which I will explain to you in a moment , we incline to overlook this fact . There are really four dimensions , three which we call the three planes of Space , and a fourth , Time . There is , however , a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter , because it happens that our consciousness moves intermittently in one direction along the latter from the beginning to the end of our lives . ” “ That , ” said a very young man , making spasmodic efforts to relight his cigar over the lamp ; “ that . . . very clear indeed . ” “ Now , it is very remarkable that this is so extensively overlooked , ” continued the Time Traveller , with a slight accession of cheerfulness . “ Really this is what is meant by the Fourth Dimension , though some people who talk about the Fourth Dimension do not know they mean it . It is only another way of looking at Time . There is no difference between Time and any of the three dimensions of Space except that our consciousness moves along it . But some foolish people have got hold of the wrong side of that idea . You have all heard what they have to say about this Fourth Dimension ? ”
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