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Answers in search of a question: ‘proofs’ of the tri-dimensionality of space. (English) Zbl 1222.01011

Summary: From Kant’s first published work to recent articles in the physics literature, philosophers and physicists have long sought an answer to the question: Why does space have three dimensions? In this paper, I will flesh out Kant’s claim with a brief detour through Gauss’ law. I then describe Büchel’s version of the common argument that stable orbits are possible only if space is three dimensional. After examining objections by Russell and van Fraassen, I develop three original criticisms of my own. These criticisms are relevant to both historical and contemporary proofs of the dimensionality of space (in particular, a recent one by Burgbacher, Lämmerzahl, and Macias). In general, I argue that modern “proofs” of the dimensionality of space have gone off track.

MSC:

01A50 History of mathematics in the 18th century
00A30 Philosophy of mathematics
01A55 History of mathematics in the 19th century
01A60 History of mathematics in the 20th century
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