What lies beyond the third dimension?

The idea of explaining the dimensions of reality will be clear in this article. In the previous part, I tried to make you comfortable with the idea of multiple dimensions. If you haven’t yet read it, please do by clicking here. And then come back to this article as I take you on a journey through the higher dimensions and how we can control them. Importantly, you will also come to realize why this knowledge is important for us. It is not that our life will stop being the way it is if we do not discover routes to higher dimensions. But a lot will change in our lives if we do. Let’s go step by step through the process.

If so many dimensions exist, how can we access it?

This is a tricky question mainly because science in today’s world has not been able to answer this yet (The keyword being ‘yet’). In fact, string theory and all the theories suggesting dimensions greater than three are debated a lot among scientists. It’s a topic where all scientists haven’t been able to pinpoint a particular theory to work. The reason for this is that although we have mathematical proof, we haven’t been able to observe it experimentally to confirm the existence of higher dimensions.

The question still remains. How can we access it? One explanation provided is that such high energy collisions leading to the formation of black holes in higher dimensions were more stable when the big bang happened. This was a time when the universe was extremely hot. At the present time, although the universe is still pretty hot and energetic, it has cooled down a lot since the big bang. So it is very difficult to see one such event closer to home. The experiments at the Large Hedron Collider, for example, are our attempts to engineer one such event.

Are we fumbling in the dark to prove string theory?

Like I said before, string theory is still a theory. And any theory remains in existence until proven wrong. While physicists studying string theory suggest that this theory is their best shot at combining quantum physics and gravity into a unified theory of everything, there is still a contrary opinion that it is pseudoscience as such theories are often impossible to test.

I still feel that this concept has a lot of potentials to become the theory of everything provided we understand and more importantly, observe the physics of string theory. String theory has a lot more than the concept of higher dimensions, but this concept is definitely one of the main highlights.

Interpretations of this concept in real life

It is important to understand how the answer to whether the world is multidimensional or not, will affect our lives. We would still be going on with our regular lives. But some things will drastically change with knowledge. There are several books, articles, and other resources that are trying to simplify string theory for non-scientists. If the world is after string theory, there must be something about it that has implications on our lives. Consider this: Babies that are about four months and younger cannot perceive depth. This was found in scientific studies (Read about the visual cliff experiments for more information on this). Once they turn about four months, they start perceiving the world in three dimensions. What if babies could never perceive the third dimension naturally? How much would it limit the capabilities of a human being if we could not perceive depth?

As fully grown humans, we can naturally perceive the world in three dimensions. But what if we could perceive higher dimensions? How much more can humankind do with that kind of capability? The advantages of having this knowledge are enormous! This is where string theory comes into the picture.

Theory of dimensions in existing ancient knowledge

I read several texts regarding this topic. Although I am not 100% clear in this aspect, I could understand the fact that ancient texts like Bhagavatham, Puranas, etc talk about dimensions along the lines of our understanding of the string theory. I could find several schools of thought that talk about having 10, 26, and even 64 dimensions. I am not knowledgeable enough in this aspect to make a comment on what is right or wrong. I will learn about it as I study further. But the one common thing I could extract is that our universe described in these texts is multidimensional and that accessing dimensions greater than three is not in the power of an average human, and requires greater self-awareness. String theory posits that everything around us is actually existing as strings, and the movements and phenomena we sense around us are happening because of the interaction between these strings. While the interactions happening in three dimensions fall under the purview of our six main senses and hence are perceivable by us, the other interactions require some other medium to reach us. As of now, we are still looking for the medium that will help us do it. One such principle within string theory is Supersymmetry, which explains several unanswered questions. There are several concepts explained in the texts that could translate into this concept.

• I have already talked about the concept of the existence of different lokas above and below our plane of existance in an old article here. These lokas can exist in different dimensions coupled with time, which makes their presence separate from us but still be the reality. This concept can be found in Srimad Bhagavatam where the structure of the Brahmandam is talked about in details.
• Another concept that could explain the idea of dimensions along the lines of Supersymmetry is that of Vivarta-vaada. This is given by Adi Shankaracharya within the Advaita Vedanta. This concept entails the explanation that there is only one reality, which is superimposed in different forms. All these forms are the result of the only reality but can appear different to different dimensions of existance. As said by Adi Shankaracharya in Vivekachudamani in the verse 260, एकमेव सदनेककारणं (ekam-eva sad-aneka-karanam), which means the One reality is the cause of the many manifestations. The shloka is shown below.

While there is a lot to understand in this regard, these concepts are definitely a good start to gain knowledge in the right direction.

While string theory remains a subject of debate, it still contains a lot of potential for scientific advancements and opportunities. And even if this theory fails to hold water, it does not negate the principle. Now if somebody says that they want to go to higher dimensions, you can tell them that we are already there. We just need the power to make changes to it. Meanwhile, let us explore our world of three dimensions well enough before venturing into changing higher dimensions. Point to ponder?

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Cover image credits: Image by Эльвина Якубова from Pixabay