Brian Greene, a leading string theorist, postulates the existence of extra dimensions of space; instead of the usual four dimensions, there must be ten spatial dimensions and one dimension of time to allow for a consistently defined string theory. The theory has several explanations to offer for why we do not perceive these extra dimensions, one being that they are "curled up" (compactified, to use the technical term) and are hence too small to be readily noticeable.
Layman, when presented with the notion of extra-dimensions of space, tend to be disbelieving. They will say, if a person cannot see something, it doesn't exist. How can something exist that we cannot see or sense in some way?
I have no knowledge of physics, but it is easy for me to accept the idea that there are extra dimensions of space. I think the issue is more one of evolutionary biology than physics. Human beings evolved to perceive a world that they had to negotiate and survive in. We perceive what we need to perceive in order to survive. It seems likely to be true that it was not necessary for human survival to sense extra dimensions, so we did not develop the organs necessary to sense these dimensions. Sensing extra dimensions of space had no survival value for the human species.
I am reminded of a problem that I face every day. I am hypersensitive to latent meanings in the statements and behaviors of other people. I am sensitive to body language and nonverbal cues, such as inflection of voice. I am sensitive to patterns of speech and the symbolism of people's communications.
Most people say I am paranoid. They say: "You imagine things. The things you claim to be sensitive to do not exist. There are no 'nonverbal cues' or symbolism in people's communications. If there were such a thing the ability to perceive it would be widespread. I certainly cannot see what you claim to see. The 'extra dimensions' of human communication that you postulate are a figment of your imagination, your paranoia."
Again, as in physics, the problem is one of evolution, or more precisely adaptation. As individuals we adapted to a developmental environment we had to negotiate and survive in. We perceive what we needed to perceive in order to survive in our early family environment. It seems likely to be true that it was not necessary for most people to sense hidden dimensions of human communication, so most people do not sense those dimensions. Sensing extra dimensions of human communication had no adaptive value in the types of family environments that most people grew up in.
The psychiatrist Albert Rothenberg has found that some people are unusually sensitive to implicit messages contained in the communications of others, an ability that he traces back to early development. Some people adapted to a disturbed developmental environment in which there were often remarkable discrepancies between what family members said they felt and what they actually felt. Rothenberg, A. Creativity and Madness at 12 (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990).
The psychoanalyst Leonard Shengold found that some children's interaction with exploitive and manipulative persons in a disturbed developmental environment forced them into an adaptive paranoid attitude. Some children adapted to an early environment that demanded constant wariness, the habit of observation, and attendance on moods and tempers; the noting of discrepancies between speech and action; a certain reserve of demeanor and automatic suspicion of sudden favors. Shengold, L. Soul Murder: The Effects of Childhood Abuse and Deprivation at 244-45 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989).
Most children do not develop in early family environments that promote a sensitivity to the hidden dimensions of human communication. Many children who are exposed to disturbed environments do not adapt to the environment or they develop severe psychiatric problems. A few children who are exposed to disturbed environments will adapt by developing a "sixth sense" that allows them to negotiate the stresses and dangers that those environments present.
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